Yu Gi Oh! Dark Messiah

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“I pass as well,” he said.

Artemis drew.

“As will I,” she said.

The Nightmare’s Steelcage crumbled.

Patrick drew a card.

“Now it ends…” he said in a sinister voice.

He played a Spell Card.

“I play Silent Doom,” he said. “Now I can raise Launcher Spider from the Graveyard in Defense Mode.”

Launcher Spider appeared, shielding itself with its claws. (2,200/2,500) –> (2,700/2,500)

“Next I summon… Mighty Guard.”

He played the card, and a robot with gears for joints appeared. (500/1,200) –> (1,000/1,200)

“And finally…” he said, “I play Final Power Surge!”

“Huh?” asked Artemis. “What does that do?”

“It’s a Ritual Card,” laughed Patrick. “One that will summon the mightiest Machine in my arsenal…

“Your carbon copy of Exodia may be good at the defense, but I have one who has a much better offense!”

A huge, scale-like device appeared on the field, crackling with electricity. The two Monsters appeared on it.

“I now have to sacrifice at least ten stars worth of Monsters…” he said.

The two Monsters and the infernal scale vanished…

…and a hulking form started to rise out of the ground…

“Arise…” he said. “Come forth, mighty [B]Mechanical Exodia!”

The huge Machine in front of Artemis looked more or less like someone had built a robot in the image of Exodia the Forbidden One. Trisha remembered a painful duel in her Freshman year where she had lost when a student had assembled Exodia – this creature looked like the unstoppable golden deity, only steel instead of gold. (2,000/2,000)

And the cursed Seal branded on its forehead!

“In addition to the bonus from the Seal, it gains the base Attack Scores of the Monsters I sacrificed to summon it,” laughed Patrick.

(5,200/2,000)

“Now my beast could flatten Obelisk the Tormentor himself!” he cackled. “And even Slifer the Sky Dragon if the duelist using him didn’t have more than five cards in his hand!

“No Traps to protect you this time…”

“Mechanical Exodia, destroy Exxod!” he shouted. “Beam of obliteration!”

The Machine blasted forth a ball of pure darkness, and Exxod, Master of the Guard was blown to gravel!

“Where did Patrick get that thing?” shouted Jason.

“You’re asking me?” gasped Trisha.

Dr. Artemis stared at her opponent for a minute…

“My move…” she said.

She drew a card.

“I summon Giant Soldier of Stone in Defense Mode,” she said, placing a card on her Disk.

The huge statue appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,300/2,000)

“You think that overgrown pile of pebbles can protect you?” laughed Patrick.

He drew a card.

“Look what I got!” he said. “I summon Overdrive in Attack Mode!”

He placed a card on his Disk, and a rugged tank with a turret appeared. (1,600/1,500) –> (2,100/1,500)

“No…” gasped Jason.

“Take out her Soldier!” shouted Patrick. “Turret blast!”

Overdrive blasted its cannon, and Giant Soldier of Stone was smashed to pieces.

“Mechanical Exodia…” he ordered.

The horrible Machine powered up its beam.

“…attack directly!”

Artemis screamed as the mighty attack hit her! She fell to her knees.

[B](A: 2,700) (P: 2,350)

Artemis gasped for breath as smoke rose from her torso…

“Oh, did that hurt?” asked Patrick, sarcastically. “Did I give you an owie?”

“You’re insane…” muttered Artemis.

“Am I?” asked Patrick.

“There’s a fine line between normality… and insanity. Becoming a great duelist was my dream… Being expelled ruined it.

“You know what separates a madman from a normal person? Only one rotten day! That’s all it takes for a normal person to snap.

“My rotten day happened when I was kicked out of this school, so if I’m truly mad, you’re the one who… blew my fuse.”

“How many times must I say this, Patrick?” she replied, angrily. “How many times must I say it before it sinks in? You were a cheater. You rigged the shuffling of your opponents’ decks. Is it my fault that you violated the most important rules that the founders of this school set up?

“And now you’ve only made your situation worse by siding with forbidden power. You can blame me all you like, but it doesn’t change the fact that you dug your own grave.”

“I refuse to accept that…” growled Patrick.

“Unfortunately, your refusal to accept it does not change the fact,” said Artemis.

“I refuse to accept that too!” he shouted.

“Unfortunately,” said Artemis, “your refusal to accept the fact that your refusal does not change the fact also does not change the fact that you dug your own grave.”

Patrick looked at her.

“Fine, I’ll accept that…” he growled. “But it doesn’t matter. YOU don’t matter. In a minute or so, you won’t even be matter. You’ll still lose this duel, and your soul will be mine.”

“We’ll see,” growled Artemis. “I believe… it’s my move…”

“Then make it,” mocked Patrick. “It will be your final move…”

Artemis got up and glared at him.

She drew a card.

“I place one card facedown on the field…” she said.

She set the card, and it appeared.

“And I’ll summon another Stone Statue of the Aztecs in Defense Mode,” she said.

Another Stone Statue appeared. (300/2,000)

“A fighter to the end, huh?” said Patrick. “Well now it truly ends…”

He drew a card.

“I activate… Ring of Destruction!” shouted Artemis.

Her Trap Card lifted, and the ring of grenades appeared around Mechanical Exodia’s neck!

“Huh?” said Patrick. “But that means…”

“She’s forcing a draw!” shouted Jason.

“Yes…” said Artemis. “Mechanical Exodia will be blown to bits, and we’ll both lose 5,200 Life Points.

“And while the Seal of Orichalcos would just love to consume both of us, I know that it simply can’t…

“So it’s not going to take either of us!”

With a deafening burst, Mechanical Exodia exploded, and both of them were thrown back! The Seal vanished!

[B](A: 0) (P: 0)

When the light came back, Artemis was down on one knee, panting for breath, and Patrick was flat on his back.

Artemis slowly picked up her cards and got up. She walked over to her opponent.

“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…” laughed Patrick.

Artemis gave him a stern look.

“Don’t look at me like that!” laughed Patrick. “I didn’t win, but you couldn’t beat me either! You had no choice but to force a draw!”

“Oh, really?” asked Artemis. “Actually, I did have a choice… I had this other Trap Card in my hand, but I didn’t set it…”

She showed him the card…

Barrel Behind the Door.

“That Trap…” muttered Patrick, in fear.

“If I had set it and triggered it at the same time I triggered Ring of Destruction,” she said, “you’d have lost 10,400 Life Points, I’d have lost none, and you’d have lost. You’d have fallen victim to your own mad trap.”

Patrick stared at her.

“Why?” he asked. “Wh… Why?”

“It wasn’t out of mercy or compassion,” replied Artemis. “Truthfully, I wanted the Seal to take you. But dead men tell no tales, as they say. I needed you and your soul intact. There’s a rogue starting Orichalcos duels, and you’re going to lead us to him. We’re going to stop his plans before they start.

“Security… take him.”

The security guards grabbed Patrick.

“I’ll never tell you anything!” he cursed.

He struggled, but they were too strong for him.

“We’ll soon see,” said Artemis, staring him in the face. “I can be a very persuasive bitch when I want to...”

She picked up the Seal of Orichalcos card that had fallen to the floor. She reached into her pocket.

“And as for this thing, Patrick…” she added.

She lifted a cigarette lighter and flicked it on, setting the card on fire. It quickly burned.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

In Fortunado’s penthouse, an expensive vase smashed against the wall.

Fortunado howled in anger as his fist shattered a coffee table. His rage was so great, Cassius, Sebastian, and Cleo looked ready to run.

“Boss, calm down!” pleaded Cleo. “Remember your blood pressure! Need I remind you that these are your things that you’re destroying?”

Fortunado growled.

He slumped in a chair.

“If Patrick tells Artemis where he came from, our secrecy will be a thing of the past…” he muttered.

“Maybe Patrick won’t talk…” suggested Cassius with a shrug.

“I’ve seen her crack tougher nuts than him…” he moaned, clutching his forehead.

“You want us to bust Patrick out of their detention center?” suggested Sebastian.

Fortunado paused.

“You guys are helpless without your cards,” he said. “Artemis will keep him under tightest security… If even a lawyer wants to see him, he’ll be searched to the skin. No normal cards or Disks will get anywhere near him, let alone Orichalcos ones…”

He picked up a cell phone.

“We need a different plan…”

He dialed a number.

“Get me Alphonse…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Several hours later, Sersei was walking to her dorm.

That stupid Anthony, she thought. Telling me to meet him at a private spot to make out and then never showing up.

Boy, a lot has happened today…

Then she saw that her path was blocked by a dark figure.

He was short, and dressed in a dark robe and hood.

“A little early for Halloween, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Dunno,” he said in a raspy voice. “I dress better than those skanks in your deck…”

Sersei drew back.

“My Harpies are NOT skanks!” she shouted.

“Then prove it,” he said, raising one of the black Duel Disks. “Duel…”



Monday, September 13th, 2106, 4:10 PM



DISGRACEFUL CHARITY (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Marie the Fallen One’s visage, with a card between her two claws.

Card Description: Both players recover all cards they discarded from card effects during the current turn.

Note: “Disgraceful Charity” was first used by Yugi in the multi-part anime episode “Clash in the Coliseum”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



SILENT DOOM (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A hand with a glowing light in the palm.

Card Description: Special Summon one Normal Monster from your Graveyard in face-up Defense Mode. The Special Summoned Monster cannot declare an attack for as long as it remains on the field.

Note: “Silent Doom” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States. It was used many times in the anime (where it could be used to Special Summon any Monster), originally by Kaiba in “A Duel With Destiny”.



NUTCRACKER SUITE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A Christmas nutcracker surrounded by holly leaves and sugar plums.

Card Description: Pay as many Life Points as you desire, in increments of 200. For every 200 Life Points you pay, Special Summon one “Nutcracker Token” in Defense Position (Machine/Earth/1 star/0 ATK/0 DEF). “Nutcracker Tokens” cannot be used as Tributes for a Tribute Summon.



FINAL POWER SURGE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Ritual
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A scale-like device, crackling with energy.

Card Description: This card is used to Ritual Summon “Mechanical Exodia”. You must also offer Monsters as Tribute whose total level stars equal ten or more from the field or your hand.



MECHANICAL EXODIA (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Ritual/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 10
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: This robotic version of the unstoppable Exodia must have been designed in the mind of a madman. This Monster is Ritual Summoned by the Ritual Spell Card “Final Power Surge”. You must also offer Monsters as Tribute whose total levels equal ten or more from the field or your hand. Increase the base ATK of this Monster by the base ATK of the Monsters used as Tribute to activate the Ritual Card used to summon it.

Note: “Final Power Surge” and “Mechanical Exodia” first appeared in “Shadow Realm: Fifteen” by Master of Paradox. All creative credit goes to him. Used with permission.



Artemis’s Jujitsu Deck

Since she began to learn the ancient Japanese art of Jujitsu, Dr. Andorra Artemis has believed that the best offense is a powerful defense. Thus, her deck strategy reflects that. Similar to Jujitsu, most of her strategy involves staying on the defensive and letting her opponent do himself it.

Her deck contains three copies each of Hieracosphinx and Grave Ohja, and many Monsters that can be reverted to facedown position after being flipped face-up. This can put opponents in a near-unbreakable lock where they lose Life Points slowly but surely. Also in her deck are two copies of the incredibly rare Exxod, Master of the Guard, who can only be Special Summoned by sacrificing a sphinx – this Monster, nearly unbeatable in Defense Mode, adds even more firepower to her flipping combos.

Contrary to belief, there are offensive moves in Jujitsu (mostly throws and locks), so Artemis also has three copies of Shield and Sword in her deck. Using this card while Exxod is on the field can punish a foe with a mighty blast that has 4,000 Attack Points behind it, which is nothing to scoff at. Her other Spells and Traps take advantage of her defensive nature. Castle Walls and Continuous Destruction Punch can destroy a powerful Monster by surprise.

The vast majority of her Monsters are Rock Monsters, but this seems to be the nature of defense. Stone is solid, so it is naturally good at defending. Strangely, Artemis does not truly have the card Legendary Jujitsu Master in her deck, but she keeps this card in her side deck to remind her of its origins. (She also once said that it reminded her of her original sensei, who is long since retired.)



[B][I]Coming up next…

If you think Sersei is in trouble, you’re right!

Next chapter, a turning point in the story. One of the heroes faces a duelist who uses a deck that mirrors one of the most memorable villains from GX’s second season. The road towards the coming of the Dark Messiah begins in earnest.

Don’t miss “Vengeful Bog Spirit”, coming soon.

[Dark Sage]

I should probably add...

If any of you want to build a deck using Dr. Artemis's favorite card, "Exxod, Master of the Guard", wait until next month, when the Invincible Fortress Structure Deck comes out. He'll be in it.

[Shuppet Master]

Man, Patrick is a son of a...

Well, that was a great duel, and it shows that you can't expect to get away with harassing a Chancellor and getting away with it.

A deck from the White Organization's arc? This should be good!

[Silencer]

The madness of Patrick didn't come over alot. So I was kinda confused when he said Dr. Artemis blew his fuse...

[jkBAKURA]

For those of you who felt a tremmor earlier, that would have been the impact of my jaw to the ground. Mechanical Exodia's appearance came out of left field.

Other then that, I may be hypocritical, but I don't see why siblings always have to have similar deck themes. The plot here seemed a bit forced, and the entire chapter seemed just to give these two duelists screen time. The result was not altogether a waste of time, however.

I fail to see Juditsu in the Chancelor's theme, but the deck itself is an incredible build that I will definately be looking into. Patrick was two-demensional at best. And was the Heart-Speech really nessicery? If the character isn't going to change this chapter anyway, it just makes another one during his second appearance both inevitable and repeditive.

All in all, I was so much more interested in one compeditor then the other. The duels are good so far, but the plot so far is giving too little to keep me very interested. Though it looks like the next chapter may fix that problem. I'll be watching.

[Inferno_Dragon]

Wow!!! So we see her brother finally. Interesting duel, especially with Mechinical Exodia.

So the next chapter includes a deck similar to a deck used in Yu-Gi-OH GX's Second Season. I haven't seen all of Yu-Gi-Oh GX but I bet I will still be surprised.

Keep up the good work!

[Pokemasterkatie]

SPOILERS FPR THE SECOND SEASON!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
There are two main villians in the second season--Edo/Aster Phoenix(really more of a mini-villian than anything), who apparently leaves the side of evil...but still doesn't give a damn about Jaden; and Saiou Takuma, the main baddie. Edo uses the Destiny Heroes, and Saiou used a Tarot type deck. We had an E-Hero deck a while ago, so I wouldn't bet on the D-Heroes.
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END SPOILERS

Artemis forcing a draw was pretty smart...then again, I wouldn't expect any less from this school's principal! She paid very good attention to that video!

[Dark Sage]

Katie -

The villain in question is not Edo or Saiou. It's a minor - but memorable villain whom you might be able to guess if you look at the title of the next chapter.

As for Artemis, she didn't become the chancellor of the school by being stupid or being a bad duelist. If anything, Patrick was the one who was stupid.

[Blademaster]

(pant, pant, pant, pant, pant...)

Sorry... I'm late...! Ran here... from school... 12 miles away... lousy incompetent trains... O_O;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

New chapter... Good... Jujitsu Deck... was interesting... Machines... nothing major, but... can't believe... Paradox actually... let you use... one of his ideas... Must be... feeling generous... on birthday...

Awesome new... Monster, that... Exxod... thing... Very abuseable... I bet...

Clueless about... next chapter... Hope is... up soon...

(collapses from exhaustion)

Peace... out...

-Blade

Someone... call hospital...

[Mystic_clown]

Hmm, interesting. We hardly ever get to see any good rock decks in these fics.

Why do I get the feeling Patrick's going to DIE before the fics out?

[Dark Sage]

MC,

Good question. And truthfully, I don't know.

I do know that he will participate in one more duel, much later in the story (and he'll use a much different deck). But I have not decided whether he will survive or not.

- Brian

[Perfect Chaos]

Well, this was an OK chapter. Again, as jkBakura pointed out, it didn't seem to give much in plot-wise (although the Chancellor's deck was a nice surprise). It would've also been nice to see if Patrick had used a much different deck-type than what Trisha was using. But I have the next chapter to look forward to anyways.

-Sean

[Shuppet Master]

Blademaster, you shouldn't try to catch up here, this thread would have been waiting for you. *laughs*

Anyways, Exxod is a monster in one of the upcoming structure decks, the Earth structure deck called "The Invincible Fortress." It's mainly a rock deck. Artemis could do well to use that Criosphinx(which I have in real-life) to protect her Medusa Worm. If you don't know what I'm talking about, ask Dark Sage. He's more knowledgable in Duel Monsters than I am.

[Dark Sage]

Since Exxod can only be summoned using sphinx monsters, and a lot of Artemis's strategy uses flipping, she likely had at least one Criosphinx in her deck. Maybe two Hieracosphinx and two Criosphinx. But you can't have too many tribute Monsters in a deck...

[Blademaster]

Blademaster, you shouldn't try to catch up here, this thread would have been waiting for you. *laughs*

......

......

......

......

......

...Shut up.

......

[Shuppet Master]

I'm sorry.

[Blademaster]

(has been restored by a kind Samartian [who demanded $20 afterwards])

It was a joke, Shup. Relax. Haven't you learned yet? Everything I say is a joke!

...Except that.

...And that.

And that.

And that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that, and that...

...

And that.

[Mystic_clown]

...You've been watching Family Guy haven't you?

So Varon, Alistair and Raphael are back huh? Cool, except for the whole, being unforgiven thing. I mean, Marik, Pegesus, they've done much worse (hell, in the manga, Kaiba tried to kill Yugi and the gang a few times). What those three did was nothing.

[Dark Sage]

MC,

It's quite possible that the current condition those three are in is not their fault. It will be explained in an upcoming chapter.

One of them might even get a chance to duel again... You never know...

[Dark Sage]

Before someone brings it up after I post this next chapter, I'd like to point something out.

Yes, this antagonist's deck has three copies of a card that is Limited in the real world, making it an illegal deck.

However, in a world where Pot of Greed, Mirage of Nightmare, and even Monster Reborn are used all the time, I see no reason why this would not be illegal here.

After all, an anime character with a similar deck also had three copies of the same card, and no-one accused her of cheating.

Now that that's out of the way, enjoy the chapter.

[B][I]I’m a fast learner… Twice now, I’ve witnessed the use of a powerful Field Spell Card called The Seal of Orichalcos. Here’s what I know, aside from the fact that it cheats:

Whoever plays it can use more than five Monsters at once. His Monsters gain 500 Attack Points and become Dark Monsters. The card itself cannot be destroyed by standard methods…

And it gets creepier. The card has magical powers. Once it’s used, no-one can enter the arena, and the two duelists cannot leave until the duel is over. Even worse, if what the users say is right, the loser of a duel in which it is used loses his soul. To what or who, I don’t know. The only way both duelists can escape unscathed, as far as I know, is if the duel ends in a draw.

I’m going on a rescue mission, and I just know the danger of this evil card will be a threat…

But strangely, I’m sensing a great power… It’s as if someone is whispering in my ear, like a voice beckoning from the shadows. It’s something good, telling me to have courage, and to face this evil.

Who is this person? Why won’t he show himself?

Whoever you are, show yourself before it’s too late!

[B][size=3]CHAPTER TEN

Monday, September 13th, 2106, 4:15 PM


Sersei was feeling pretty confident right now.

She still had all her Life Points, and had brought her opponent down to half of his. The mountains of Harpie’s Hunting Ground were surrounding her, and four Monsters were on her side of the field: Harpie Lady 1, Harpie Lady 2, Cyber Harpie Lady, and Harpie’s Baby Pet Dragon.

Her opponent only had one Monster on his side of the field in Defense Mode, and it was a pathetic little thing…

…only problem was, she had used all four of her attacks and her Dragon’s effect on it, and it had simply refused to die.

“Give it up, pal,” she said. “You can’t stay hidden behind your little shield forever…”

The hooded stranger drew a card.

“I don’t intend to…” he said.

“Draw a good Monster?” asked Sersei, in a bored voice. “Well fine… Don’t forget, you’re only allowed to attack my Dragon…”

Five minutes later, a scream that was half from pain and half from complete panic echoed over the Obelisk complex…

…it clearly belonged to Sersei…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

One hour later…

Jason, Trisha, and Russell weren’t saying a word as they sat in the library pouring over books.

“So…” said Russell at last. “Think Dr. Artemis can get your brother to talk?”

“Please…” answered Trisha. “She could have gotten Don Carmelli’s right-hand man to talk.”

If you knew anything about Don Carmelli, you knew that this was likely an exaggeration. Carmelli was the ruler of organized crime in New York City about fifteen years ago. He was into everything; drug dealing, protection, gambling, prostitution, loan sharking, contracts for hire… everything that organized crime did.

Carmelli was eventually caught, along with many of his lieutenants. The trial was a long one, and he was eventually convicted of ordering five murders and other minor charges. He was now serving five consecutive life sentences, and would likely never see daylight again.

But if the prosecution had convicted him on twenty-seven other murders, some of which were more serious, he likely would have gotten the death penalty. However, not many people were willing to testify against him. Carmelli was so influential and so feared, very few figures in organized crime circles would turn against him, not even in exchange for pardons and protection.

Of course, Dr. Artemis was a woman to be feared too. You didn’t want to get on her bad side. Rumors were that once, a disgruntled student had tried to punch her, and she responded by holding him in a lock until security arrived. And she was likely capable of scaring the information out of Patrick.

“Conrad? Moise? Majors?” said a voice.

They looked up and saw the librarian.

“Sorry to disturb you,” he said, “but the Chancellor wants to see you… In the infirmary.”

They all looked at each other.

“Infirmary?” asked Trisha. “I only have a slight cough…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

The three students walked into the medical ward, where Dr. Artemis was sitting by a bed, her brow furrowed with worry.

They were shocked to see Sersei lying in it, apparently unconscious.

“Sersei?” said Trisha, surprised. “Dr. Artemis, what happened to her?”

“Her body is alive,” said Artemis, sadly, “but Sersei is somewhere else. Someone lured her into an Orichalcos duel…

“…and she clearly lost…”

“No…” whispered Jason.

“Even worse…” continued Artemis, “whoever did this is having the gall to hold her soul for ransom! This was pinned to her blazer when we found her…”

She handed Jason a sheet of paper. It was a hand-written letter, written in red ink.


[I][B]To Dr. Artemis,

We have taken the soul of this student, but we are merely keeping her in storage for now. Whether she stays that way and is able to return to her body is up to you.

We are willing to trade her for Patrick Moise’s safe return.

At midnight tonight, bring him to the World of Enchantment Aquarium, where we will make the switch. You had best bring Sersei too, to ensure a safe transfer. To make the switch, send the three students who encountered the Orichalcos first.

One warning. At any time, Sersei’s soul can be sacrificed to dark forces. If we see anyone except them, or they refuse to come, she will be lost forever.

We await their arrival.

- The Three Swordsmen of Orichalcos


“Certainly, someone doesn’t want him talking…” muttered Artemis.

“What are we going to do?” asked Jason.

Artemis paused.

“Sersei is no doubt languishing in some dark prison,” she answered, “crying her eyes out, pleading for release… We can’t allow her to suffer. We have no choice… As much as I hate letting Patrick go, the safety of a more respectable student is more important…”

She tossed Jason a set of keys.

“Take the van, get there fast, but don’t get a speeding ticket…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

The Bronx.

Not far from Yankee Stadium was the World of Enchantment Aquarium, a menagerie that could be thrilling for some people, and scary for others. You see, the main attraction at this aquarium was the walk-in shark tank.

Well, you didn’t actually walk into it. However, the tank was constructed in a shape that let you walk into a large chamber where the tank surrounded you on all sides and above. There, you were surrounded by some of the most vicious looking sharks, skates, and rays. There were no great whites (such fish could not be kept with other fish) but there were plenty of other fish who might eat you up if were on their side of the thick, shatterproof glass.

A van pulled up to the aquarium doors.

Russell and Trisha came out of the side door, with Russell carrying Sersei.

“Man, Sersei, you gotta watch the cheesecake…” moaned Russell.

Jason paused.

Strange… he thought.

Ever since we left the school, it’s like there’s been a presence… something trying to whisper in my ear… But whoever it is, I can’t hear what he’s saying!

Not exactly anyway… But I can tell he’s trying to encourage me… Calm my fears…

As Jason came out of the driver’s seat, Trisha opened the back, where Patrick was sitting, his hands cuffed behind him.

”Out,” ordered his sister.

“Uh, sis?” said Patrick, nervously. “I don’t suppose it’s too late to cut a plea deal with Dr. Artemis?”

Trisha raised her hand as if to hit him…

But then she lowered it.

“Why?” she asked. “Afraid what your boss is going to do to you? Patrick, I thought you had betrayed me when I found out you were a cheater, but now that I know you’ve turned truly evil, it’s more than a betrayal, it’s a blight on our family’s name. I’d clock you over the head with this Duel Disk, but I won’t…

“You’re such a slime, I won’t sink to your level. Now OUT!”

Patrick hung his head, and walked out.

“Get moving!” said Trisha, pushing him towards the doors of the aquarium.

The front doors opened, and the lights came on.

“We’re here!” said Jason.

“Good…” said Cassius’s voice over a loud speaker. “Come to the shark chamber, and we can conduct our business with a minimum of fuss…”

They walked through the aquarium, past tanks containing crabs, squid, octopi, and fish of all varieties, until they came to the corridor leading to the shark chamber.

As they entered the tunnel made of glass, they shivered. The vicious sharks, skates, and rays swam around and over them, bearing sharp teeth.

They entered a circular, one-hundred-foot wide chamber, with glass walls, with the deadly fish behind them. Another corridor was opposite theirs.

As they entered, Cassius, Cleo, and Sebastian entered from the other corridor.

“Long time no see,” said Cassius.

“Cut the formalities,” said Jason. “We have the guy you want, now let Sersei’s soul go.”

“Don’t talk to me!” protested Cassius. “Talk to the guy who took it.”

Cleo turned around.

“Alphonse, get in here,” she called.

A short man in a dark robe walked in.

He lowered his hood, and the three teens drew back in surprise. The man was clearly an albino – his skin and short hair were chalk-white, and his eyes were pink, indicating a complete lack of pigment. He was portly and had a bulbous nose.

“And who, pray tell, are you?” asked Jason.

“Like Cleo said,” said the albino, in a raspy voice, “my name is Alphonse, and some folks call me… King of the Swamp!

“My card…”

He held up a Duel Monsters card…

It was King of the Swamp, all right.

“King of the Swamp?” replied Jason, sarcastically. “I’d say it’s a safe bet that no one has ever challenged you for that title.”

Alphonse frowned.

“I find it hard to believe that Sersei lost to someone like you…” continued Jason.

“Looks can be deceptive, Jason,” said Alphonse, placing the card back in his robe. “You see a man in front of you who doesn’t look like much of a threat… Short and slightly overweight… But in my line of work, assassins such as myself pride ourselves on being deceptive… Sersei also doubted my abilities until it was too late.”

“Enough!” shouted Jason. “We came for Sersei…”

Alphonse raised a Seal of Orichalcos card. Imprinted on it was Sersei’s picture, her face contorted in horror.

“Simply send Patrick over here, and she’s yours…” said Alphonse with a grin, waving the card.

Trisha glared at Patrick.

“We’re waiting…” said Alphonse.

“You lucked out, bro,” she said. “But here’s something to think about – if you ever show up at the school again, I’m going to tie you to a pole, and then Russell, Jason, and I are going to attack you with every Monster in our decks before we give you to Artemis. Is that clear?”

“Uh yeah…” he stammered. “C-clear… crystal clear!”

“Now BEAT IT!” she shouted, kicking him.

He stumbled towards the Three Swordsmen.

“Well,” said Alphonse with a shrug, “a deal’s a deal…”

He waved his hand over the card, and Sersei’s image vanished…

Sersei slowly opened her eyes…

“Whu…” she said. “Guh… Galuh…”

“Sersei?” said Russell.

“Muh… Bahguh…” she said.

“Heh, heh,” said Alphonse. “The prison of the Orichalcos is a very traumatic experience. She likely won’t be able to talk for a little while…”

“Take it easy…” said Russell, stroking her head.

“Oh, and she also probably shouldn’t go swimming for at least an hour!” laughed Alphonse. “HA, HA, HA, HA!”

Jason walked up to the albino, his face twisted with rage…

“You know something, buddy?” he said. “I don’t find you the least bit funny…”

“Really?” answered Alphonse. “Well, my ex-wife thinks I’m hilarious. Of course, the judge told her she isn’t allowed to come within a hundred and fifty feet of me…”

“How’d you like to duel someone who can fight back?” dared Jason.

Jason, no! thought Sersei. He’s good!

“Heh, heh, heh…” laughed Alphonse. “You’re certainly very brave, kid…”

He looked him in the eye.

“You’ll find me much more formidable than Fang or Patrick were,” he said. “It was of utmost importance that we recover this guy. Do you think my boss would have sent one of his penny-ante duelists to take a hostage from the Obelisk Blue dorm? I’m the cream of the crop!”

“I can still beat you…” said Jason.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” said Alphonse with a grin. “Ha! I’ll fix you just like I did Sersei…”

And fortunately, thought the albino, since Sersei can’t possibly talk to him for a good half-hour, there’s no way she can warn him about what my strategy entails…

“We’ll soon see about that…” cursed Jason.

He gave the thug a shove, and he stepped backwards.

“All right, fine,” said Alphonse. “But remember, you asked for it…”

“Jason, please!” shouted Trisha. “He has that awful card!”

“I’m not gonna lose…” said Jason. “I don’t know why I think that, but a little voice inside me is telling me…

“I’m not gonna lose…”

“Heh, heh…” said Alphonse. “You know you’re going crazy when you start listening to little voices inside your head. When you do that, it’s time to get on the water wagon.”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Jason and Alphonse stared at each other.

“This ought to be good…” said Sebastian.

“You think you could undo these handcuffs?” asked Patrick. “This isn’t very comfortable…”

“Pat, you’re in enough trouble,” answered Sebastian. “So shaddup!”

“Guh… buh… galuh…” said Sersei, desperately trying to put a sentence together.

“Don’t try to talk…” said Russell in a comforting voice.

Alphonse’s wicked-looking Disk activated.

“Let’s start,” said Jason. “Disk away!”

His own Disk activated.

[B](Jason: 8,000) (Alphonse: 8,000)

They both drew their top five cards.

“Me first!” shouted Alphonse, drawing his first card.

Heh, heh, he thought, looking at his six cards. If only this fool knew that the Seal was now in my opening hand. Unfortunately, due to the… limitations on the Monster that makes up a key part of my strategy, I can’t play it right now…

He placed a card on his Disk.

“I will play… Graceful Charity,” he said, playing a card.

The angel appeared in front of him, and he drew three cards. Quickly, he discarded two of them.

“Next, I’ll play this Monster in Defense Mode… Treeborn Frog.”

A frog the size of a large dog with feathered wings and a halo appeared. It shielded itself in Defense. (100/100)

“Well, that’s a pathetic excuse for a Monster…” said Russell.

“That will be enough for now…” said Alphonse.

Jason drew a card.

Only one Monster, he thought, looking at his hand. He only has 500 Attack Points, but that’s higher than 100.

“I summon Peten the Dark Clown in Attack Mode,” he stated.

He played the card, and Peten appeared, casually palming a dagger. (500/1,200)

“Don’t let his smile or loud clothing fool you,” he said. “He means business. Peten, turn that thing into frog’s legs!”

Peten vanished into darkness…

…and then reappeared behind Treeborn Frog, driving his dagger into it! The amphibian shattered.

Peten vanished again and reappeared in front of Jason.

“Not bad…” said Alphonse, drawing a card.

He added it to his hand.

“I activate Treeborn Frog’s special ability,” he said. “Since I have no Spells, Traps, or other Treeborn Frogs on my side of the field, I can Special Summon it from the Graveyard. Defense Mode!”

In a burst of light, the Frog returned.

“Now I play a Spell Card…” he said, playing a card.

A card appeared, showing the image of rotting skeletons bursting out of the ground.

“Since my Frog was Special Summoned, I can now play Inferno Reckless Summon,” he continued. “Now I can summon in Attack Mode all Monsters in my hand, deck, and Graveyard that have the same name as the one I just Special Summoned. And then, you can do the same with a Monster you have on the field.”

Two more Treeborn Frogs appeared. (100/100 x3)

Jason looked at him strangely, and went for his deck.

“Fine,” he said. “Here come two more Petens!”

Two more Dark Clowns appeared on Jason’s side.

Be careful, Jason! thought Sersei. This is exactly how he defeated me!

I thought he was crazy letting me summon all three of my Harpies at once…

But his ultimate strategy wiped me out!

“Now I’ll place one card facedown, and that will be all…” said Alphonse.

“My move!” said Jason, drawing a card.

There we go… he said.

“I summon Battle Ox in Attack Mode,” he exclaimed.

He threw a card down, and the axe-wielding minotaur appeared. (1,700/1,000)

“I activate my Trap Card!” shouted Alphonse.

His Trap lifted.

“It’s called Gift of the Mystical Elf…”

The gentle form of Mystical Elf appeared behind him, and cast a spell.

“Now I gain 300 Life Points for every Monster on the field,” he explained, “and I see seven of them.”

[B](J: 8,000) (A: 10,100)

Jason grimaced.

“Petens… take out his Frogs!”

The Clowns leapt forward, and skewered the Treeborn Frogs.

“Battle Ox, attack…” he started.

“Not so fast, Jason!” shouted Alphonse. “I can even activate Treeborn Frog’s effect on your turn.”

Treeborn Frog appeared again, crouching in Defense Mode.

“So your Battle Ox will have to attack it instead attacking directly…” he said with a grin. “So long as I can activate his effect, your Monsters simply can’t get to me!”

Nuts, thought Jason. There were plenty of Enraged Battle Oxes in the card store, Jason, but no, you had to go for that good, old-fashioned charm…

Battle Ox charged forward and cleaved the Frog in half.

[B](J: 8,000) (A: 9,300)

“It’s my turn…” said Alphonse, drawing.

“First I’ll use Treeborn Frog’s ability again…”

Treeborn Frog appeared again, once more in Defense Mode.

“Next, I’ll play Premature Burial, to summon a Monster that I discarded with Graceful Charity – a little guy called a T.A.D.P.O.L.E.”

He played the card. A Monster appeared that was, more or less, a tadpole. (0/0)

“And next I’ll play… another copy of Inferno Reckless Summon.”

He played the card, and two more T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s appeared.

“Well, I don’t have any more Battle Oxes,” said Jason. “But that was really smart… putting three Monsters with zero Attack Points in Attack Mode…”

If only you knew… thought Alphonse.

“By the way…” said Alphonse. “If you want to know what T.A.D.P.O.L.E. stands for, it’s: This Aquatic Denizen Prepares Overwhelmingly Large Encounter.”

Jason drew a card.

He smirked…

“First I’ll place a Monster in Defense Mode…” he said.

He played a card, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“Battle Ox, take down one of the T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s!” he shouted.

Battle Ox sliced the larva in two.

“Petens, take out the others!”

The Clowns destroyed the Treeborn Frog and the other two T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s.

[B](J: 8,000) (A: 5,800)

“So now what?” asked Jason.

Alphonse drew a card.

“I play my Pot of Greed,” he exclaimed.

He played the card, and drew two more cards.

“I’m activating Treeborn Frog’s ability once again…” he said.

Treeborn Frog appeared again.

“Again?” said Trisha in disgust.

“Yes, but this will be the final time,” said Alphonse, taking another card. “Because from this point on, activating its effect will be impossible. See, its effect cannot be used if a Spell or Trap Card is active on my side of the field…

“And I’m going to play one… I play…”

He threw a card into his Field Slot.

“…The Seal of Orichalcos!”

No… thought Sersei. Just like he did to me… Jason…

Darkness descended on the room, and the cursed pentagram appeared around them! Alphonse’s eyes glowed, and the Seal appeared on his forehead.

“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh….” he cackled. “You’re through!”

Treeborn Frog’s eyes glowed, and it rose to 600 Attack.

The sharks in the tank started swimming around excitedly, as if they were anxious to feast on whoever fell… The Orichalcos didn’t reach into the tank, but it seemed to corrupt even them.

“Pay attention, Patrick,” said Sebastian. “You’ll see how this is supposed to be done.”

“Time to get serious,” said Alphonse in an evil voice. “I sacrifice Treeborn Frog, to summon something better… Des Frog!”

Treeborn Frog vanished. A much larger frog appeared, and its eyes glowed as the seal branded on its head. (1,900/0) –> (2,400/0)

“And that’s not all,” continued Alphonse. “When I summon a Des Frog via sacrifice, I can summon another one from my deck, for each T.A.D.P.O.L.E. I have in my Graveyard. Technically, I could summon four of them, if I were allowed to have four copies in my deck, but since I can’t…”

Two more Des Frogs appeared, and they fell under the spell of the Seal as well.

“Scared?” asked Alphonse.

“No,” said Jason casually, crossing his arms.

“Humph,” said Alphonse. “Well, my Frogs are plenty strong enough to take out your Monsters, but with the Spell Card I’m holding, I don’t need to…”

He played the card.

“It’s called Des Croaking!” he laughed. “It can only be played when three Des Frogs are on my side of the field, and when that happens…”

The three Frogs let out a loud bellow! The three Dark Clowns and Battle Ox cringed, and then they and Jason’s facedown Monster shattered!

“…I can wipe out every card on your side of the field! Scared now?”

“No,” repeated Jason, calmly.

Alphonse gave him a funny look.

“Well, I’ll bet you’ll be scared after I play my next Spell Card,” he said, fitting a card into his Disk.

“I Equip my central Des Frog with Chthonian Alliance. This Equip Spell Card increases the Attack Score of the Equipped Monster by 800 for every other Monster on the field who has the same name. Do the math…”

“Hold on…” said Russell. “Two other Des Frogs… 800 points for each… Plus 2,400…”

The Des Frog in the center rose to an Attack of 4,000!

Trisha quickly counted.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“He can deal 8,800 points of damage this round!” she screamed.

“And Jason is completely defenseless!” shouted Russell.

No… thought Sersei. This is my fault…

“Now, my Des Frogs…” said Alphonse, raising his arm.

Jason crossed his arms and glared at him.

Alphonse paused.

Okay, something is seriously wrong here… thought Alphonse. He doesn’t have a single card on his side of the field, I have enough firepower to win this duel, the Seal of Orichalcos will consume the loser, and he doesn’t seem the least bit worried…

What is going on?

“Well?” asked Jason. “Are you going to attack?

“Or are you going to end your turn?”

“I didn’t say that!” shouted Alphonse, getting nervous.

“Des Frogs, attack him directly! Resounding ribbit!”

The three Frogs let out three waves of destructive sound, hitting Jason squarely…

He didn’t even flinch.

[B](J: 8,000) (A: 5,800)

“Heh, heh, heh…” said Jason with a smirk.

“What in the name of…” said Russell.

“Surprised?” asked Jason.

“Actually, no,” answered Alphonse. “I kind of suspected you had some sort of secret strategy. Care to tell me what the Hell it was?”

“Remember that facedown Defense Mode Monster that I had on the field?” he said. “The one that was destroyed by Des Croaking? Well, despite what you may have thought, I saw a Des Frog combo coming from a mile away, ‘King of the Swamp’. So I put that little guy on the field to protect myself…”

An image of a small, furry creature with wings appeared behind him.

“Winged Kuriboh?” said Alphonse, startled.

“Right,” said Jason. “On the round where this guy is destroyed…”

“You can no longer take damage from a battle…” muttered Alphonse.

“Someone’s done his homework,” said Jason, as the little Fairy vanished.

“Okay, heart, resume beating…” said Trisha.

“You ever hear Alphonse,” continued Jason, “that sometimes small creatures can be the solution while fighting large ones? David and Goliath. Take Winged Kuriboh. He may be small, but his power can’t be denied…

“Rumor had it that one of these creatures was Jaden Yuki’s spirit guide…”

“Ha!” laughed Alphonse. “Personally, if I was a guy like him and that were true, I’d have traded it in for a stronger spirit guide!”

Jason glared at him.

“Well fine,” said Alphonse. “You’re hardly Jaden Yuki, and he may have defeated a deck like mine at one point, but you won’t be so lucky… You survived one round. You won’t be so lucky on the next round.

“I end my turn.”

Jason drew a card.

“I play Mystical Space Typhoon!” he said, playing a card. “Say goodbye to your Chthonian Alliance!”

The whirlwind shot forward and shattered the Equip Card, and the Frog’s Attack went back down to 2,400.

“Now, since there are no Monsters on my side of the field, I’ll summon Cyber Dragon in Attack Mode!”

He played the card, and the huge, mechanical serpent burst out of the ground. (2,100/1,600)

“Now,” said Jason, “I want to try an experiment…”

“An experiment?” replied Alphonse.

“Yes,” said Jason. “I know that The Seal of Orichalcos can’t be destroyed, but what if I were to get rid of it with a card that didn’t destroy it?”

“Get rid of it with a card that didn’t destroy it?” asked Alphonse. “What the blazes are you talking about?”

Jason showed him a card in his hand.

“Giant Trunade?” gasped Alphonse.

Everyone else in the room looked very surprised.

“I’m betting that you don’t even know what would happen to the Seal if I played Giant Trunade!” said Jason, with a smile.

“Come to think of it, neither do I!” said Cassius.

“Looks like we’re gonna find out!” said Sebastian, nervously.

“I play Giant Trunade!” shouted Jason.

The card appeared, and a furious wind whipped across the field…

It slowly died down.

“Aw… shoot… my monkey…” muttered Jason.

Unfortunately, the Spell Card had done nothing…

The Seal of Orichalcos was still in place.

“Heh, heh,” said Cassius. “You learn something new every day!”

Jason looked at another card in his hand – D.D. Designator…

So much for that plan… he thought.

“I’ll end with a facedown card…” he grumbled, playing a card.

A facedown card appeared.

Alphonse paused.

That facedown card worries me, he thought. It’s likely some Monster-destroying Trap…

He looked at his hand.

No other Des Croakings in my hand... I have Monster Reborn, but if that card is Mirror Force, I can only use it to revive one Monster…

He drew a card.

Heh, heh… Yes… I can only use it to retrieve ONE Monster! Fortunately, with this little card, one Monster is all I’ll need…

He played the card.

“I play Polymerization!” he shouted.

“Huh?” asked Jason. “What are you going to fuse?”

“Why, all three of my Des Frogs, of course,” laughed Alphonse.

The three Frogs swirled together into a murky blur, and grew into a huge shape…

“Together they form the mighty D.3.S. Frog!” he shouted. “D… times three!”

A huge, hulking form appeared on the field. Jason had seen a lot of classic movies from the Information Age, and this creature seemed to be a cross between a twenty-foot-tall toad and Jabba the Hut.

(2,500/2,000)

“Heh, heh…” said Alphonse. “Not only does this guy gain a 500-point boost to his Attack from the Orichalcos, but he gains 500 more for each Treeborn Frog in my Graveyard. And I’ve got three of them there!”

(4,500/2,000)

“That thing’s as strong as Kaiba’s Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!” gasped Russell, in shock.

“D.3.S. Frog…” commanded Alphonse. “Attack Cyber Dragon with colossal croak!”

D.3.S. Frog let loose a huge belch that shook the whole arena…

“I don’t think so!” said Jason. “I activate my Trap… Attack Reflector Unit!”

His Trap Card lifted.

“This Trap lets me sacrifice my Cyber Dragon for an upgrade… Known as Cyber Barrier Dragon.”

Cyber Dragon transformed into a bulkier serpent, with a large metal collar around its neck. (800/2,800)

“And so long as I keep it in Attack Mode, it can negate one attack per round, so your Frog’s colossal croak won’t be so colossal!”

Cyber Barrier Dragon’s collar glowed, and a force field formed around it, blocking the attack.

“Clever…” said Alphonse. “You are persistent… But you’ll still find it difficult to defeat my beast.”

“Come on, Jason!” shouted Trisha. “Don’t you have Smashing Ground in that deck of yours?”

Jason drew.

“If I did, don’t you think I would have used it by now?” he said, annoyed.

He looked at the card he had just drawn.

Monster Reborn… he thought. A fat lot of good that does. Any Monster I could summon from either Graveyard would be no good against D.3.S. Frog… I’d best save it for later…

If there is a later…

“I’ll pass for this turn…” he said.

“Very well…” said Alphonse, drawing a card.

He looked at it.

“Well,” he said, “your Cyber Barrier Dragon is quite a Monster… It can negate one attack, no matter how powerful… But can it do so twice in the same turn?”

He played a card.

“I think not… I summon Beelze Frog in Attack Mode.”

A new frog Monster appeared. It was as big as Des Frog, but it had red and black skin, and small, batlike wings on its back. (1,200/800)

“Now let me explain how this guy works,” said Alphonse. “In addition to the bonus from the Orichalcos, he gains 300 extra Attack Points for every T.A.D.P.O.L.E. in my Graveyard, and again, I have three. Considering that this is only a three-star Monster, that’s pretty powerful, wouldn’t you say?”

(2,600/800)

“Beelze Frog, attack Cyber Barrier Dragon with frog-fire!”

Beelze Frog shot a blast of flame from its mouth! The force field sprang up, and the attack was deflected.

“And now, my D.3.S. Frog will finish what he started…”

D.3.S. Frog let out his colossal croak, and the force field shattered. Cyber Barrier Dragon exploded! Jason shielded himself from the debris.

[B](J: 4,300) (A: 5,800)

“Face it, Jason,” said Alphonse, smugly, “while you’ve held out longer than most of my opponents, you’re finished. Even if by some miracle you find a way to destroy D.3.S. Frog, he won’t stay in the Graveyard for long... For all you know, I’ve got plenty of ways to use him again.”

Does he mean Monster Reborn? thought Jason.

He paused.

I could get rid of that card with D.D. Designator…

No, it would be too risky! If that isn’t what he’s talking about, I’d lose a card from MY hand!

“Why not just give up?” continued Alphonse. “I’ll be merciful and quick…”

“Never…” said Jason. “I’m not finished yet…”

But the truth is… he thought, as he reached for his Disk, …maybe I am. His strategy is too well thought out, and his cards are too powerful. I don’t know what I’m gonna do, bearing a miracle…

“Why do they always want to do it the hard way…” mumbled Alphonse.

Jason’s hand slowly reached for his deck…

His vision started to blur…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

It was like waking up in another place. Jason had been transported from the cursed arena, from the aquarium, and into…

“A swamp?” he said. “Where am I?”

“You’re on sacred ground,” said a gruff, deep voice.

He spun around.

Vorse Raider was in front of him!

“Vorse Raider?” he said in surprise. “Did you bring me here?”

“Indeed,” said the Beast-Warrior. “The master thought I should be the one to summon you, seeing as we share a bond…”

“Bond?” asked Jason.

“Don’t you remember?” asked Vorse Raider. “When you built your deck, I was the first Monster that went into it. I was with you from the beginning, and I hope to be there until the end.”

“Yeah, well, I hate to say this,” said Jason, “but the ‘end’, as you put it, is going to be in a few minutes… Even if I draw Brain Control, D.3.S. Frog will have only 2,500 Attack Points on my side, and that’s less than Beelze Frog.”

“True, your chances of winning this duel are slim,” said Vorse Raider. “That is why the master told me to summon you.”

“Who is this master?” asked Jason.

“It isn’t my place to say,” said Vorse Raider. “He will explain himself. Come…”

Jason followed the Beast-Warrior through the thick swamp, and after a short distance, they came to an elaborate shrine, completely free of the mud and vegetation of the odd swamplands.

Vorse Raider knelt and placed his axe on the ground.

“Lord Timaeus!” he announced. “I have brought him!”

As he bowed his head, an intimidating figure walked forward. It was a noble-looking knight in emerald-green armor, wearing a cape and a sword at his hip.

The knight looked over Jason carefully.

“Yes…” he said. “He is the one…”

“Me?” said Jason. “Who am I? Who are you?”

“I am Timaeus,” said the knight. “Listen closely Jason, for there is much to be said, and time is limited.

“One hundred years ago, my two brothers and I bonded ourselves with three great duelists to combat the Orichalcos. We succeeded, and we thought that the evil had been banished forever.

“But as you no doubt know, that evil did not die. It has returned in a new shape.

“We must intervene once more. But this time, the Orichalcos is stronger. We must bond with new duelists, to help bring forth the only one who can truly destroy it…

“…the one known as the Dark Messiah.”

“Dark Messiah?” asked Jason. “Where can we find him?”

Timaeus shook his head.

“We do not know,” he said. “But once I and my brothers gain power again, the answer will come.

“Jason, if you will accept my power, you will become a potent weapon against the evil force. But I warn you… If you accept, there is no turning back…”

Jason paused.

“Do it,” he said. “I accept…”

Timaeus drew his sword.

“Then kneel, duelist…” he said.

Jason knelt.

The knight held his sword high.

“From this point on,” he said, “I grant you, Jason Conrad, the power of Timaeus!”

He struck Jason’s shoulder with the blade, and energy coursed through him!

“Arise!”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Jason drew a card…

He looked at it, and his eyes narrowed.

“This has got to be the longest move in creation!” complained Alphonse. “Just move so I can finish this and take your soul.”

“I’m terribly sorry, Alphonse,” said Jason, “but my soul already belongs to someone else, and he’s much better than you…

“In fact, I’d like to introduce you to him…”

He took a card from his hand.

“I play Monster Reborn!” he exclaimed, playing a card. “And I’ll use it to revive a Monster from your Graveyard!”

A Des Frog appeared in front of him. (1,900/0)

“HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!” laughed Alphonse. “Why the heck did your do that? It can’t hurt my two Monsters!”

“We’ll see about that,” said Jason. “I play…”

He threw a card on his Disk.

[I]”The Eye of Timaeus!”

The whole room started to shake. The sharks in the tank swum away in fear!

“What’s happening?” asked Cleo.

“That’s what I wanna know!” shouted Sebastian.

From out of nowhere, a huge, emerald-green dragon, as big as D.3.S. Frog, appeared, and spread its wings! It let out a great roar!

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

In his penthouse apartment, Fortunado drew back in surprise.

“WHAT?” he shouted. “Hey! This isn’t in the script!”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“Timaeus!” shouted Jason, raising his hand. “Combine yourself with Des Frog to form the Amphibian Dragon!”

The huge Dragon and the Des Frog swirled together into a blur, and in a flash of light, a new Dragon appeared! It had smooth skin, membranous wings, and a toad-like face. Its feet were a cross between claws and flippers. (2,500/2,500)

“Ha, ha, ha,” laughed Alphonse. “Quite dramatic for a failure! Your Monster only has 2,500 Attack Points! My Frogs will crush it!”

“They won’t want to anymore!” answered Jason. “Amphibian Dragon is the God of Frogs, so all frogs obey him without question.

“And now he’s telling D.3.S. Frog and Beelze Frog to reject the evil of the Orichalcos and the one who’s using it!”

Both of Alphonse’s Monsters bowed their heads… and then they vanished…

And then reappeared on Jason’s side!

“WHAT?” screamed Alphonse.

“In game terms, Alphonse,” said Jason. “This Monster has the power to take control of any and all Monsters that have the word ‘Frog’ in their names. Of course, I’m not using the Orichalcos and I have no Treeborn Frogs and T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s in my Graveyard…”

D.3.S. Frog fell to 2,500 Attack and Beelze Frog fell to 1,200.

“But this is more than enough! So now, Mr. King of the Swamp, you’re about to be royally crowned, and not in a good way!

“This is for Sersei…

“D.3.S. Frog, attack with colossal croak!”

Alphonse screamed as the huge toad let loose a huge bellow, and he was thrown against the wall of the Seal.

“Beelze Frog, attack with frog fire!”

Beelze Frog blasted its fiery breath at Alphonse, and he screamed again…

“And now, Amphibian Dragon, attack with mire shockwave!”

Amphibian Dragon opened its jaws and shot a blast of energy rings at the King of the Swamp!

He groaned, and fell to his knees.

[B](J: 4,300) (A: 0)

“Boo-ya…” muttered Jason.

The Seal of Orichalcos started to glow, and then started to shrink… Alphonse let out an unholy scream...

“What do we do now?” asked Patrick in fear.

“What a silly question,” said Cassius. “We run in panic!”

As Alphonse collapsed, the Swordsmen and the liberated prisoner fled the way they came.

Amphibian Dragon and the two frog-Monsters vanished.

Trisha, Russell, and Sersei were speechless, and more than a little afraid. Jason looked at the strange card on his Disk.

“Thank you, Timaeus,” he said. “I promise to do you proud…”

“Jason…” said Trisha. “That was amazing… When did you put that… card in your deck?”

“Well, it’s a… kind of a long story, Trisha…” he said.

And yet, it’s incomplete, he thought, looking at The Eye of Timaeus.

That knight mentioned his two brothers… logic states that they’ll show up eventually.

And now I have to find the Dark Messiah, whoever he is… But I have no idea where to start looking.

He could be anywhere…

He could be anyone…

[I]* * * * * * * * * *

So… thought Fortunado, reclining on a chair.

Alphonse has been defeated, and Timaeus has emerged…

Well, at least one mystery has been revealed… The Seal is even stronger than was previously believed…

When Joey faced Mai in an Orichalcos duel, he believed that he could foil her plans by playing his Fiber Jar, forcing them both to restart the whole duel…

Could a Fiber Jar have defeated the Seal? He never found out, because Mai countered its effect with her Trap Card.

Now it seems clear that even if she hadn’t used her Harpie’s Feather Storm, it would have failed. The Seal cannot be removed from the field until the duel ends…

And as for Timaeus…

Perhaps I can benefit from this…



Tuesday, September 14th, 2106, 1:07 AM



THE EYE OF TIMAEUS (Special Card)

Card Specs

Type: Special
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A powerful dragon with emerald-green scales.

Card Description: This card can fuse with any Monster Card to form a new Monster of incredible power.

Note: “The Eye of Timaeus” first appeared in the anime episode “Legend of the Dragons”. It was one of the main focuses of the “Waking the Dragons”.



AMPHIBIAN DRAGON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 7
ATK: 2,500
DEF: 2,500

Card Description: This divine being is the God of Frogs. All amphibians obey him without question. This Monster is descended by activating “The Eye of Timaeus” and offering one “Des Frog” as a Tribute. When this Monster is summoned, you can take control of any or all opposing Monsters that have the word “Frog” in their names.



Alphonse’s Swamp Deck

Alphonse is a guy who, like most assassins, likes to end things quickly with a minimum of fuss. The fact that he also was well acquainted to swamplands helped with his strategy.

As a minion of Orichalcos, Alphonse’s strategy is a lethal one that consists mostly of frog Monsters, based on an animal commonly seen in the swamp. Using Des Frogs in combination with the Seal and Des Croaking, he often manages to achieve an OTK after a few rounds. His habit of summoning all his Treeborn Frogs and T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s using Inferno Reckless Summon often costs him some Life Points, but so long as he wins in the end, he doesn’t care. Besides, Treeborn Frog’s effect makes for an unbeatable shield from direct attacks (if used right) and due to the limitation on Treeborn Frog’s effect, he can’t actually use the Seal until he’s ready to bring out the Des Frogs. If he’s lucky enough to have his copy of Chthonian Alliance when he prepares to attack, an OTK is almost a guarantee.

His D.3.S. Frog and Beelze Frogs don’t see much use. He only uses them if his Des Croaking combo fails. If an opponent chains Waboku to Des Croaking, D.3.S. Frog might be necessary, and if someone destroys one of his Des Frogs with Bottomless Trap Hole, Beelze Frog becomes an essential. Even better, because the strength of both these Monsters depend on the Monsters in HIS Graveyard, his opponent can’t gain an advantage by brainwashing them.

If Alphonse recovers from his current situation, his strategy likely won’t change. After all, as of right now, Jason is the only one capable of summoning Amphibian Dragon.



[B][I]You all were probably expecting that someone with Jason’s tastes would have been chosen by Critias rather than Timaeus. Well, Timaeus had his reasons, and I can’t reveal them right now.

But while Timaeus has been released, but much more remains to be done.

I the meantime, next chapter, a new user character appears, and I guarantee, you have never seen a user character quite like this one! Russell duels again when an innocent soul is on the line from a threat other than the Orichalcos! Don’t miss “Physical Double”, coming soon.

[starjake]

That was pretty interesting. Frog Decks are always fun, and out of all the monsters I could think of that would fuse with Timaeus, Des Frog was not one of them. That's using creativity!

I also liked the remove-from-field-instead-of-destroy rule that you brought into it...your outcome still makes sense, but using nitpicky rules makes the story seem a little more lifelike.

Overall, I'd have to say that this is the best chapter so far. I'm excited to see what's happening next chapter.

[Shuppet Master]

Hey, don't worry about the three Treeborn Frogs, Brian. You did good.

EDIT: So it was Princess Rose, eh? I liked that character. Of course, the Quiz Guy Kanda was kooky too, making Jaden do all those(spoiler)...

[Dark Sage]

In case anyone doesn't know it by now, the villain from GX I was talking about was Princess Rose, one of Saiou's most powerful henchmen - although not necessarily the most stable. Of course, Jaden still beat her, so maybe he could have gotten better...

[jkBAKURA]

Personally, I don't see why Treeborn is restricted anyway, so I really couldn't care.

I kind of feel bad here, as I didn't see as muck of Kaiba this time around, but like last time, Jason is his own character, so I should really try to stop looking for something that wasn't meant to be there.

As for the Frog deck, as well played as anything I could make, and let's face it, the whole theme is so wierd, it just has to be fun.
I can't say I felt the effect made sense, but Amphibian Dragon's appearance was a worthy creation.

Oh man, I'm all out of things to say already. I've lost all of my reviewing powers... or maybe I'm just too tired to think straight... yeah that must be it.

[Pokemasterkatie]

So it was Princess Rose's Frog deck. I should've known(a little eccentric, but she was a good duelist).:p Very nicely played...and I guess Treeborn Frog's effects were too big of a threat right now for it to get restricted all the way to one per deck(the same thing happened to Sacred Phoenix of Nephtys).

Surprising to see a Winged Kuriboh in a Kaiba deck...seeing as how Seto always took the oppurtunity to insult Yugi's Kuriboh when it was summoned. Same with Timaeus, but he has his reasons, I suppose.^_^

[Dark Sage]

The probable reason that Kaiba always insulted Yugi's Kuriboh was because it was a one-star Monster that made a fool out of his incredibly powerful ones on more than one occassion. In Duelist Kingdom, it rendered his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's attacks worthless. In Battle City, It halted Obelisk's attack. Kaiba hated the fact that something so small could stand up his titans, and he likely never read the story of David and Goliath.

But while Jason admires Kaiba, he doesn't follow all of his opinions blindly. He doesn't want to be a clone.

As for Amphibian Dragon, with this fic, I'm trying my hardest not to make the mistake that most writers do - make the creations of the Legendary Dragons broken and too powerful. Timaeus is a powerful entity, but he's not a god. There should be limits on what he can do.

All Dragon creations, when they appear, will have limits. Amphibian Dragon was situational, and that was my intent.

[Shuppet Master]

Are you subtlely blasting Anansi? I apologize for making Lina's Timaeus creations too powerful. It was just that Yugi only used Timaeus twice, and both times it was with his sig monsters(Dark Magician and DMG), and they had some powerful effects. I'm sorry.

Anyways, I have ideas for other special monsters in the future, based on my favorite video game series, but I will try to keep them toned down. If you're looking for really broken monsters, there's a fanfic called "Rising Star of the Heavens" where the author has monsters that are extremely powerful.

[Perfect Chaos]

Frog decks are always fun to duel against/use and reading about them is also interesting. I'm sure Paradox would liked this chapter. Too bad they restricted Treeborn Frog to 1, almost crippling Frog decks in general, which is a big shame. Alphonse seemed like the monk person from the Da Vinci Code book (if you guys have read the book/seen the movie trailer)

At least Sersei was saved. I'm predicting something happens between her and Russell later in the fic.

-Sean

[Blademaster]

Frog Decks are generally interesting, to say the least, but this one was lacking...

...Nothing. It was great! I've never seen D.3.S. Frog before, though. Uck...

I was quite surprised to see Winged Kuriboh in Jason's deck, but it's not an unworthy addition - its effect is great, and it's soooooo cute! :biggrin:

Anyway, not much else to say, except this: No dispespect to Shup, but I'm glad Amphibian Dragon was so situational (Granted it was super-broken in the one situation where it actually worked, but at least it made sense - good use of an opponent's Monster to fuse with Timaeus, BTW.) . The Knights were always pretty tough, but not too tough - well, maybe some were. Oh, well...

HOWEVER...

One thing that always really irked me about the Knights was the randomness involved with them, and this is a prime example - how did Jason know that fusing Timaeus and Des Frog would work? How'd he know Amphibian Dragon's effect. And how did he know that his opponent's card would work, but not his own? I could never figure that out, and it bugged the Hell outta me. Still does...

...Well, anyway, I'm outta here - I need sleep.

Peace out!

-Blade

[Inferno_Dragon]

So the first Legendary Dragon shows up and it is Timaeus. I really never understood the three Dragons at all. (Of course, I never fully watched the whole Orichalcos saga.

A frog deck sounds quiet interesting and creative. When I thought of a bog, I thought of more than just frogs. But this chapter was great.

So another user character shows up? I wonder when mine will show up. Well, it will probably be a while. Dark Sage plans out each chapter. Of course, I wouldn't know when it would show up even in the preview synopsis.

Well, keep up the good work, Dark Sage.

[Master of Paradox]

HOWEVER...

One thing that always really irked me about the Knights was the randomness involved with them, and this is a prime example - how did Jason know that fusing Timaeus and Des Frog would work? How'd he know Amphibian Dragon's effect. And how did he know that his opponent's card would work, but not his own? I could never figure that out, and it bugged the Hell outta me. Still does...

Because he's a hero and Dark Sage is writing him. That simple.

[Dark Sage]

Blademaster -

Jason knew what to do with Timaeus for the same reason Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey knew right away what do with their Dragon cards and how the resulting creations worked (and I seem to recall that Joey combined one of Valon's Monsters with Hermos during their duel, so using an opponent's Monster is nothing new). If you want my opinion on how they knew what would work, and what the creations' effects were, I think the Dragons themselves told them, likely through a telepathic message.

[Shuppet Master]

Yeah, that would be correct. I doubt the three legendary ones would be so arrogant as to think that their owners would know what to do with them.

[Blademaster]

Because he's a hero and Dark Sage is writing him.

I think the Dragons themselves told them, likely through a telepathic message.

I doubt the three legendary ones would be so arrogant as to think that their owners would know what to do with them.

Hmmmm...

I think I like Paradox's explanation the best.

...

...

What? Geez, you guys need to lighten up...

-Blade

[Mystic_clown]

*giddy with excitement* My user characters coming up! I'm so excited.

Yeh, I know it's your story and the knights were bound to appear, but I still feel annoyed the Russel won thanks to intervention rather then skill.

[Dark Sage]

Well, the "Maintenence Mode" is finally finished, so it's time for a new chapter.

I would like to thank Mystic Clown for his contribution of this... unique user character. This is his first appearance, but it won't be his last, that's for sure.

[B][I]Yugi Mouto had something in common with his nemesis, Ryo Bakura.

See, they both owned Millennium Items, and each one housed an ancient spirit that shared their bodies.

But there was a big difference as well…

The spirit that shared Yugi’s body was a benign spirit, whom Yugi considered a friend. They were partners, and they supported and cared for each other.

The spirit in Bakura’s body was much different. He was a demon who dominated poor Bakura, treating him as a slave. Bakura hated him, and the spirit only protected him because he didn’t have a choice.

Right now, I’m facing a duelist who also seems to have two souls in the same body…

And sadly, his situation seems to reflect Bakura more than Yugi…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER ELEVEN

Tuesday, September 14th, 2106, 3:15 PM



Cleo sat in a comfortable lounge with a group of cards spread out in front of her.

She picked up a Spell Card.

Everyone who’s faced this sort of deck knows this combo, she thought. There has to be a way to use it in some new way, to take even Jason completely by surprise… One that would defeat any creation of Timaeus that he could… create.

“Hey, Princess,” said Cassius’s voice.

The older young man walked into the lounge; Sebastian was close behind him.

“Don’t call me Princess, Cassius,” said Cleo. “That’s what Lewis used to call me.”

“Uh, yeah,” muttered Cassius. “Whatcha doing?”

“Going over my cards,” she responded. “You should try it. It might help if you come face-to-face with Timaeus.”

“You think I’m scared of that Amphibian Dragon?” asked Cassius.

“Timaeus can turn into lots more than that,” said Cleo, looking at a Trap Card.

“So,” he replied, sitting down next to her, “you give any thought to my offer?”

“Offer?” she asked.

“You know, once the plan is set and done, and we get what we want,” said Cassius. “About retiring… Buying some nice place out in the country, maybe Texas… or Montana…”

“Mmm, tell you what…” said Cleo. “You go to Texas… I’ll go to Montana…”

“Uh heh…” chuckled Cassius, looking as Sebastian. “She’s full of laughs…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“Okay…” said Dr. Ting. “Who here can give me the definition of a pair of prime numbers?”

The class was quiet.

“Randy?” he asked.

“Uh, a pair of prime numbers are two numbers… that aren’t the same?” he asked.

“Anyone else?” sighed Ting.

Trisha raised her hand.

“Yes Trisha?”

“A pair of prime numbers are two numbers whose only whole-number factors are one,” she said.

“Very good,” said Ting.

“So why do we have to learn math so much here anyway?” muttered Randy.

“A lot of reasons, Randy,” said Ting, who was known for having excellent hearing. “Duel Monsters is a lot about numbers, and you can’t always use the readouts on holograms to tell the statistics.

“In 2050, one great duelist became national champion of the United States, despite the fact that he was one-hundred percent blind in both eyes. His cards were specially encoded with Braille, but for every duel, he had to keep track of his Life Points, his opponent’s Life Points, and the Attack and Defense Scores of all Monsters on the field, in his head.

“Trust me, this individual never flunked a math class.

“All right… With the exception of Jason, class is dismissed for today…”

Jason was surprised as everyone got up and left.

“Uh, Dr. Ting?” he asked. “Am I in trouble?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Dr. Artemis and the other administrators want to speak to you in the conference room, and she told me to escort you there.”

Jason gulped.

This was not a good sign.

[B]* * * * * * * * *

Dr. Artemis was nervous. The whole world was turning upside down, and there was little she could do to stop it.

No, that was a lie.

There was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it.

“Twinky!” she shouted.

With a whir, a strange creature rolled into the conference room. It was a four-foot tall robot on treads.

“Coffee…” she said.

The robot nodded and rolled into the other room.

Everyone in the room grinned. Artemis had gotten Twinky as a Christmas present last year, and she used it as a gofer.

“Andorra,” said a man sitting next to her. “It seems all you ever have that robot do is get your coffee. You should stop being so dependent on it and get it yourself…”

“Johnson…” said Artemis, “In the 1950 anthology I, Robot, Isaac Asimov assigned three rules for robots. The first one is, a robot must never harm a human being. The second one is, a robot must always obey a human being unless doing so violates the first rule.

“I told Twinky to get my coffee. You don’t want him to violate the second rule, do you?

“Besides… I don’t see him complaining.”

Down the table, someone whispered to the person next to him:

“Someone should tell Twinky that coffee is dangerous to humans, so he’s technically violating the first rule.”

“Maybe so,” replied the other, “but Andorra is even more dangerous to the rest of the world if she doesn’t get it.”

Jason walked in.

“Uh, hi…” he said, nervously. “Am I allowed one phone call?”

“You aren’t under arrest, Jason,” said Artemis, rolling her eyes. “Please sit down…”

Jason sat in the central chair.

“Uh, how’s Sersei?” he asked.

“Better,” said Artemis. “She was able to talk about that duel last night… And about the new card you obtained…”

Artemis stood up as Jason started to sweat.

“Let’s get the unpleasant part out of the way, Jason,” she said. “First of all, Timaeus has chosen you as his avatar, and it is not my right to take that card away from you…

“However…”

She paused.

“The Eye of Timaeus is a card that is to be used to combat the Orichalcos. Therefore, it is to be in your deck only if you are facing an opponent who you have plausible reason to believe will use the Orichalcos. All other times, it is to remain in your side deck.

“I give you fair warning… If I learn that any student was subjected to Timaeus’s wrath, your punishment will be the same as if you used a card listed on the Forbidden List!”

“I… understand…” said Jason, taking his deck out of the holder.

“But I am willing to grant you clemency in your case,” continued Artemis. “So long as Timaeus is in your side deck, I’ll allow your side deck to have sixteen cards, rather than the normal fifteen.”

Jason placed it in his side deck.

“Now then Jason,” she said, with her voice turning calmer, “as your chancellor, it is my job to give you… advice…”

She paused again.

“That card has incredible power. Of the thousands of Monster Cards that have been created since Duel Monsters was invented, Timaeus can combine with every one of them, and every one of these thousands of combinations is incredibly powerful.

“That card has incredible power, Jason, so do your best to use it wisely. I trust Timaeus’s judgment…

“And you must know that you’re in it for the long run now. A war is starting… And the one who has Timaeus can’t just turn his back on it.”

She looked at Jason.

“I’ll do my best…” said Jason.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“And that’s what she said,” muttered Jason, as he and his two friends walked into the Arena.

“She only said it for your own…” started Trisha.

They walked in.

“…good…” she muttered. “Wow…”

The Arena had been transformed into The Sanctuary in the Sky!

On one side was an Obelisk with short, black hair, wearing glasses. His side was clear, and he had 3,000 Life Points remaining.

His opponent – the one who had played the Field Card – had only Shining Friendship on the field in Attack Mode, and he had 2,500 remaining.

The Fairy Duelist (his name was Janus) was a guy who would stand out. He was barely five feet tall, with violet hair that fell neatly to his shoulders, and large, emerald-green eyes. He would be considered beautiful rather than handsome. His yellow blazer identified him as a Ra.

He looked over the three cards in his hand and played one, placing a facedown card on the field.

“Your move, Louie,” he said.

Louie drew a card.

“I’ll place a card facedown,” he said, playing it.

His own facedown card appeared.

“And then I summon… the one and only Don Zaloog!”

In a flash of light, the eyepatched bandit appeared. (1,400/1,500)

“Attack his Fairy!” he shouted.

Don Zaloog lunged and stabbed Shining Friendship, and it burst.

“Not bad,” said Janus. “But Don has to damage my Life Points to use his effect, and thanks to the Sanctuary, I don’t lose any Life Points when a Fairy is destroyed.”

“I know that!” said Louis, rolling his eyes. “It’s your move.”

Janus drew a card.

“Well,” he said. “Seeing as I know that Don Zaloog plus facedown card equals Monster-destroying Trap, I’ll activate mine…”

His facedown card lifted.

“Royal Decree. And until this decree is repealed, Traps aren’t allowed.

“Now I’ll summon The Agent of Creation, Venus.”

A beautiful woman with angelic wings appeared, surrounded by multicolored orbs. (1,600/0)

“Venus, attack Don Zaloog! Rainbow orbs!”

The orbs around Venus started to spin, and she hurled them. Don Zaloog gasped, and was blown to shards.

“That’s my move,” said Janus.

“Fine,” muttered Louis, drawing a card. “I’ll just summon Cliff the Trap Remover in Defense Mode and hope for the best…”

He played the card, and the bespectacled thief appeared, kneeling in defense. (1,200/1,000)

“Okay…” said Janus drawing a card.

He smiled when he saw what it was.

“I’m activating Venus’s special ability,” he said. “See, I can spend 500 Life Points for her to Special Summon a Monster called a Mystical Shine Ball from my deck. So I’ll spend 1,000 Life Points so that she can summon two of them.”

His Life Points decreased, and Venus started to pray. Two globes of pure, silvery light appeared next to her. (500/500 x2)

“They say when you see a Mystical Shine Ball,” said Janus, “you should make a wish.

“I wish that… Guardian Angel Joan would appear and win this duel for me.”

He switched cards on his Disk, and the two Mystical Shine Balls shattered.

From the clouds of the Sanctuary, the mighty Guardian Angel Joan flew up in front of him! (2,800/2,000)

“What do you know…” he said. “I got my wish!”

“Uh oh…” said Louis.

“Venus, take out Cliff the Trap Remover!” ordered Janus.

Venus blew Cliff away with her rainbow orbs.

“Guardian Angel Joan, attack directly! Searing light of Heaven attack!”

Joan fired a beam of pure light, and Louis cried out in pain. His Life Points fell to zero.

The Sanctuary and Janus’s Monster’s vanished.

As Louis limped away, Russell went up to Janus.

“Not a bad job, Janus,” he said. “Care for a rematch any time soon?”

“Please Russell,” said Janus, “you always beat me. I’d be dumb to…”

They heard a cell phone ringing.

“Excuse me…” said Janus.

He activated the phone.

“Hello?” he said.

His eyes narrowed.

“Oh, it’s you…” he said angrily. “Omaly, leave me alone!”

Jason, Russell, and Trisha took notice.

They knew about Omaly. He was a spook who had been haunting the campus over the last school year. The students said he was a sadistic lunatic that forced them into duels and made them make a painful wager – if they lost, they had to take a direct attack from his five strongest Monsters at once. The chancellor was after him, of course, but he had yet to be caught.

They tried to listen as Janus whispered curse words into the phone. It was clear a heated argument was happening.

“If you even think about it, you bastard…” he muttered into the phone.

Tears fell down Janus’s cheeks…

Finally, he hung up.

“Janus,” said Russell. “I couldn’t help overhear… Is Omaly some sort of friend of yours?”

“I know him,” muttered Janus, “but he’s no friend…”

He held his head.

“Listen guys, I have an errand to run, and that new curfew is going to make it hard. See you later…”

He walked out.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” asked Trisha.

“He’s going to meet with Omaly,” said Jason. “Maybe even duel him… And if he loses…”

“Come on,” said Russell. “We’ll follow him and finally catch that spook…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

They followed Janus as he left campus…

And slowly, Janus started to change.

He unbuttoned his blazer, and then his shirt underneath; then he ran his hands through his hair, and it became mussed up. His spine seemed to straighten, adding a few inches to his height. A wicked grin appeared on his face.

Puzzled, they followed him as he walked into a local nightclub.

“Janus in a nightclub?” asked Russell. “I didn’t know he was into these places…”

They walked in, to the sound of loud music, and saw Janus walk up to two girls who were quite indecently dressed and had dyed hair – one pink, one green.

“Ladies…” he said, in a voice that was deeper and more sinister. “Start the party, because I’m finally back!”

They giggled as he put his arms around them.

Russell looked at his two companions and then went up to him.

“Janus!” said Russell. “I thought you were shy around girls… Let alone ones like this…”

He turned and looked at them.

“Well, well, well,” he said, somewhat annoyed. “Who invited the scrubs? It’s Janus’s dumb pals, trying to crash our fun!”

The girls giggled and smiled evilly.

“Cut the music, Jeeves!” he shouted.

The music stopped.

“What’s going on?” said Russell in wonder. “Janus…”

“You’re speaking to the wrong person, Russell,” he answered. “Janus isn’t here right now… You can call me Omaly…”

“Janus is really Omaly?” asked Trisha.

“No…” said Omaly. “He’s locked away, in a small cell in here…”

He pointed to his head.

“But don’t worry, he’s sure to break free eventually,” he said with a shrug. “You can have him back then. But soon I’ll find a way to fix it so he can’t escape…”

There was a long pause…

“I’m beginning to get the picture…” said Russell, looking at him. “This isn’t an act, is it?”

He stared at Janus.

“This is a case of D.I.D.”

“What?” asked Trisha.

“Dissociative Identity Disorder,” answered Russell. “Most folks call it Multiple Personality Disorder. Omaly is another side of Janus’s personality… A dark side…

“And from what I’m hearing, Janus is still the dominant side… But Omaly is trying hard to change that…”

“Give the man a prize!” laughed Omaly. “And I’d like to see you try to stop me…

“Every time I come out, I get stronger, and I last longer… Eventually, I’ll bury little Janus forever…”

Russell looked at him.

What do I do? he thought. Turn Janus in? This isn’t his fault… For all intents and purposes, Omaly is a completely different person…

He looked at the Duel Disk on Omaly’s arm.

“Omaly…” he said. “I know that you’re a duelist… Enough students on campus are afraid of you for me to know that you’re rather good…”

“That I am,” said the fiend with a smile. “What? Are you challenging me?”

“Maybe I am…” said Russell. “I dare you to accept a wager… If we duel and you lose, you retreat to that cell you locked Janus in, and never come back out.”

“Quite a heavy wager!” exclaimed Omaly. “Well, if I’m going to make a bet with stakes that high, you and your two friends must agree to suffer if I win…”

He opened a pouch on his belt.

“If you lose this duel, all three of you will endure something I call the Punishment of One Hundred Fiends…”

He held up a card. It was Dark Ruler Ha Des.

“I don’t get it…” said Trisha, scared.

“Simple,” said Omaly. “If Russell loses, the three of you will stand against the wall, and I will attack you directly with this Monster one hundred times… each!”

“You’re mad…” said Jason. “But to get rid of you and save Janus, I’ll take that risk.”

“I will too…” said Trisha.

“Fine,” said Omaly. “Clear off the dance floor!”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

In the middle of the nightclub, a dance floor decorated with flashing lights was set up. Russell and Omaly faced each other at each end.

“Mop the floor with this loser!” shouted one of Omaly’s girls.

“Give him an ass-whuppin’!” said the other.

“Russell,” said Trisha. “You sure you can beat him?”

“Please,” said Russell. “Janus was never able to beat me…”

“Well then,” said Omaly, “why don’t I just put his deck away then…”

He placed the deck inside his blazer.

“…and use my own?”

He took out a second deck.

“See, I’m hardly the same as Janus. In the times I’ve been in control, I’ve built a deck more to my liking that Janus’s pansy creatures. My Monsters have a different… flavor.”

“Fine,” said Russell. “I’ll beat you anyway…”

The Disks activated. He drew five cards.

“Atten… shun!”

[B](Russell: 8,000) (Omaly: 8,000)

Not a bad hand… thought Russell.

“I’ll go first…” said Omaly, drawing a card.

“And for my first move, I choose to play a Spell Card, and the Spell Card I choose to play is… Different Dimension Capsule.”

He played the card, and a glowing sarcophagus appeared in front of him.

“Now,” he said, taking his deck, “I can take any card from my deck I desire, and seal it in the Capsule, and in just two short turns, I can add it to my hand.”

A card appeared in the air. The Capsule opened, and it was sucked into it. It slammed shut.

“True,” said Russell. “But if the Capsule is destroyed, that card is gone for good.”

“Maybe,” said Omaly, with a grin. “But what are the chances of that?”

Russell tried hard not to smile as he looked at the Mystical Space Typhoon in his hand…

“Now, to finish my turn,” continued Omaly, “I’ll summon Keldo in Attack Mode.”

A strange, metallic creature, colored silver and green, with a vaguely feminine appearance appeared in front of him. (1,200/1,600)

“My move,” said Russell, drawing. “And now I play… Mystical Space Typhoon!”

He played the card, and the whirlwind tore forward, shattering the Different Dimension Capsule!

“YAY!” shouted Trisha.

“That’s showing him!” cheered Jason.

“Heh, heh, heh…” said Omaly. “Fool… You did exactly what I wanted you to do.”

“What do you mean?” asked Russell. “Whatever was in that Capsule is gone.”

“Finish your move, and you’ll see…” demanded Omaly.

“I will!” said Russell. “And you should have summoned that piece of tin in Defense Mode. I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in Attack Mode!”

The brave, elven Warrior appeared, brandishing his blade. (1,400/1,200)

“Attack Keldo!” shouted Russell.

The Guardian slashed with his sword, and Keldo shattered.

[B](R: 8,000) (O: 7,800)

“Not bad…” said Omaly, “but now it’s my turn…”

He drew a card.

“…and you’ll see the secret behind my strategy. The card I put inside that Capsule was this Spell Card…”

He held up a card.

“It’s called Card From A Different Dimension. When this card is removed from play, like it was because you destroyed the Capsule, it returns to my hand on my next turn, and when that happens, we both draw two cards.”

Russell looked at him.

“Clever,” he said, as they both drew twice.

“Now I’ll summon someone with a stronger Attack,” said Omaly. “Kelbek, in Attack Mode.”

Another strange creature resembling two spined wings with claws on the front and a face with one glaring eye appeared, shielding itself. (1,500/1,800)

“I realize that Obnoxious Celtic Guardian can’t be destroyed by Monsters who have 1,900 Attack Points or more,” said Omaly. “Fortunately, this one only has 1,500.

“Keldo, wipe out his Warrior! Staring glare!”



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



Keldo shot a beam of energy from its one eye. The Guardian groaned, and shattered.

[B](R: 7,900) (O: 7,800)

“I recognize these Monsters…” said Jason.

“Huh?” asked Trisha.

“I’ve dueled Ishizu Ishtar in the VR pods several times,” he answered, “and these sand Fairies were the driving force of her deck. They can be more dangerous than they appear…

“I could warn Russell what Kelbek can do… But as cruel as Omaly is, this is still a duel, and I can’t cheat…

“Damn…”

“My move…” said Russell, drawing.

He looked at the Spell Card.

“And you aren’t the only one who can refresh you’re hand, Omaly,” he said. “I can do the same thing, and summon a powerful Warrior to boot!”

He placed a card on his Disk.

“First, I summon Axe Raider to the field…”

A powerful-looking barbarian clad in armor, holding an axe appeared. (1,700/1,150)

“Then, I play a Spell Card,” he said. “A powerful one called Command Offensive!”

He played the card, and it appeared, showing the image of Freed delivering an angry blow to Shadowknight Archfiend.

“When this card is played,” he explained, “I can sacrifice one Warrior on the field to Special Summon Freed the Matchless General from my hand, and then both duelists draw twice!”

A battle cry was heard as Axe Raider vanished, and the mighty General Freed appeared, holding his mighty sword! (2,300/1,700)

Both Russell and Omaly drew two cards.

“Oh, a powerful Monster!” said Omaly, sarcastically. “Whatever will I do?”

“Freed, attack Kelbek!” shouted Russell.

Oh, no! thought Jason.

With one swipe of his mighty blade, Freed cleaved Kelbek in half! The pieces shattered.

[B](R: 7,900) (O: 7,000)

“Good effort!” laughed Omaly. “But that will cost you. When Kelbek is attacked, the Monster who does so is returned to the owner’s hand!”

Freed vanished.

“You dirty…” muttered Russell. “Fine, it’s your turn…”

“Well, now that you’re defenseless,” laughed Omaly, drawing, “and I have plenty of cards thanks to your Command Offensive, it’s time to use them… I’ll summon Zolga in Attack Mode!”

Another strange creature appeared, this one in a dark cloak with a metal collar and headdress and one red eye. (1,700/1,200)

“Attack Russell directly!” ordered Omaly. “Cloak of destruction!”

Zolga flew forward, and to Russell’s horror, it covered him with its cloak! He was buffeted by dark winds that stung his flesh!

[B](R: 6,200) (O: 7,000)

“Heh, heh, heh,” said Omaly. “Your move…”

And I almost have all I need to bring out a big surprise, he thought.

Russell drew a card.

Nothing that can defeat Zolga, he thought. Best defend.

“I summon Queen’s Knight in Defense Mode,” he said, placing a card.

Queen’s Knight appeared, kneeling and crouching behind her shield. (1,500/1,600)

“That will end my turn,” he said, nervously.

I’ve got to turn this around, he thought. I can’t let him punish Jason and Trisha with 245,000 Life Points worth of direct attacks!

“My draw…” said Omaly.

He drew a card.

“And I couldn’t have asked for better,” he said, taking another card from his hand. “First I’ll play a Continuous Spell Card called Samsara…”

“Uh, catchy name…” answered Russell, “but what does it do?”

Omaly played the card, and a fancy table appeared next to him. A bejeweled chest appeared on it.

“You’ll see in a minute,” he said. “Next, I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands.”

He played the card, and the grotesque Fairy with numerous hands appeared next to Zolga. (1,400/1,000)

“Now I can add a Ritual Spell Card from my deck to my hand,” he said, taking a card from his deck.

“But it won’t stay in my hand, because I’m using it, seeing as I already have the Monster. I play a deadly Ritual known as… End of the World!”

“I don’t like the sound of that…” said Russell.

“You’re about to like it even less…” said Omaly.

He played the card, and a sinister cloud, crackling with lightning concealed the ceiling of the nightclub…

“End of the World is a unique Ritual Card,” said Omaly, “because there are two different Monsters you can choose to summon with it… beings of great destructive power. I have to sacrifice exactly eight stars worth of Monsters, so I’ll sacrifice Zolga and Manju…”

The two Fairies were struck by lightning from the cloud. Then they formed into orbs of light, and flew into the Samsara chest, which slammed shut.

“You were wondering what Samsara did?” he asked. “Thanks to this card, any Monsters that I sacrifice to summon a Ritual Monster don’t go to my Graveyard, they’re shuffled back into my deck! So you might be seeing those two later if you survive long enough.”

He shuffled the two cards into his deck.

“So what are you summoning?” asked Russell.

“The most evil Fairy you’re ever likely to see,” answered Omaly. “Descend, harbinger of doom… Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!”

A tall form floated down from the cloud. It was a woman of sinister beauty, wearing a red dress and a tiara. She held a wickedly bladed staff. (2,300/2,000)

She grinned evilly at Russell.

“Ruin…” said Omaly, “attack Queen’s Knight with Rod of Ragnarok!”

Ruin laughed and aimed her staff at Queen’s Knight. She fired a wave of green fire! Queen’s Knight screamed bloody murder! She was reduced to bones, and then the bones shattered!

“Eek…” gasped Russell.

“And now…” continued Omaly, “attack Russell directly!”

Ruin cast her evil spell again, and Russell screamed as it hit him, ripping right through him!

“RUSSELL!” shouted Trisha.

Russell fell to his knees.

Ruin grinned, and crossed her arms.

“In case it hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Omaly, “Ruin can attack a second time in one turn, so long as she destroys one Monster first.”

[B](R: 3,900) (O: 7,000)

“This is crazy!” shouted Trisha. “Russell is down to half his Life Points, Omaly has 7,000, and that spook has the most demented Monster I’ve ever seen on the field!”

“Don’t give up the ship yet…” said Jason.

“My move…” moaned Russell, getting up.

He drew.

“I play Graceful Charity…” he played the card, and the angel appeared again. He drew three cards.

Hey… he thought. I drew one of my strongest Monsters. Only problem is, I have to trade two Monsters for her…

He looked at the other two cards.

But maybe that won’t be a problem…

He discarded two cards.

“I play Reinforcement of the Army,” he said, playing a card.

He took his deck.

“And I’ll use it to bring Marauding Captain to my hand.

“And now I’ll summon Marauding Captain…”

He played the card, and the armored veteran appeared.

“And, I’ll use his effect to summon… another Marauding Captain.”

A twin of the first Warrior appeared. The two Captains turned to each other and nodded.

(1,200/400 x2)

“Ha!” said Omaly. “They can’t beat Ruin!”

“True, she has nearly twice as many Attack Points as they do,” replied Russell. “But allow me to explain to you how this strategy works…

“It’s called a Captain Lock!

“See, when a Marauding Captain is on the field, you aren’t allowed to attack any other Warrior.

“And since I now have two of them on the field, and Marauding Captain himself is a Warrior…”

Omaly gave him a look.

“I can’t attack at all!” he exclaimed.

“You’re learning,” said Russell. “See, the first one protects the second, and the second one protects the first!

“I’ll end my turn on that note.”

“So, you’ve managed to stall,” said Omaly, drawing. “But I’ll find a way around it soon enough. In the meantime, I’ll set one card facedown, and that will be my turn.”

“Then I’ll draw…” said Russell, doing so.

“And my Trap activates!” said Omaly, as his facedown card lifted. “Solemn Wishes. Now I’ll gain 500 Life Points whenever I draw.”

“Well, you’re gonna need them,” said Russell. “Because now I sacrifice both my Captains…”

The two Marauding Captain’s vanished.

“…to summon the toughest lady in Duel Monsters… Crescent Moon Queen!”

A dark form arose. It was a beautiful, mysterious woman with ebony skin, dressed in silvery armor, with a cape that looked like the night sky. Her eyes were silvery pools of light. She wore a silvery crown set with a single white diamond.

She drew two sharp scimitars shaped like crescent moons!

(2,600/1,700)

“It’s Russell’s rarest card!” said Trisha, in awe.

“Toughest lady in Duel Monsters?” scoffed Omaly. “Guardian Angel Joan is stronger…”

“Attack Points aren’t everything,” said Russell. “Crescent Moon Queen, attack Ruin!”

The Queen ran with her scimitars outstretched, and with one swipe, cut the Queen of Oblivion in two! She shattered!

“And now, attack Omaly directly!”

The Queen slashed at Omaly with her other sword, and he fell backwards with a gasp.

[B](R: 3,900) (O: 4,100)

“She can attack twice?” said Omaly in surprise.

“You got it,” said Russell. “Of course, there’s a catch. If she does, she has to move into Defense Mode…”

Beads of sweat appeared on Crescent Moon Queen’s face. She crouched on one knee and shielded herself with her swords.

“…but, she has 1,700 Defense Points, so you’d best hope you have a good Monster waiting in the wings.”

Hmm… thought Omaly. Interesting… That creature would make a fine addition to my Doomsday Deck…

Maybe once I crush this fool, I’ll make an offer… To spare him and his friends the pain of one hundred direct attacks if he’s willing to hand over that card.

If he refuses, it’s their funeral…

He drew a card. A shower of gold fell on him, and his Life Points went up.

“I’ll summon Agido in Defense Mode,” he said.

He placed a card down, and an orange, spherical creature with one glaring eye and weird claws and blades surrounding it appeared. (1,500/1,300)

“That’s my move.”

[B](R: 3,900) (O: 4,600)

“Fine,” said Russell, as he drew.

Crescent Moon Queen stood up again and bore her blades menacingly.

“This will make you say uncle! Attack!”

The Queen rushed forward, and smashed Agido to bits!

“And now…” he continued.

“Hold up!” shouted Omaly.

A golden die appeared in the air.

“When Agido is destroyed in battle, I get to roll one die,” explained Omaly, “and then I get to Special Summon a Fairy from my Graveyard whose star level matches the result.”

The die fell forward, and rolled…

And it landed on a four.

“Perfect,” said Omaly. “And since Agido itself has four stars, I’ll summon it right back, in Defense Mode!”

Agido reappeared.

“Crescent Moon Queen, take it down again!” shouted Russell.

The Queen smashed it again. Then she crouched in Defense Mode again.

The die appeared again.

“Forgot to mention,” said Omaly. “If it lands on a six, I can not only bring back a Fairy with six stars, but one with more than six stars. Including an eight-star one, like Ruin…”

Russell’s eyes opened in fear.

“Please not a six…” muttered Trisha as the die skipped again.

It landed…

But it was a four again.

“Oh well,” said Omaly. “I’ll just summon back Kelbek in Defense Mode.”

Kelbek reappeared. (1,500/1,800)

“All right,” said Russell, “I’ll end my turn.”

Omaly drew.

He gave a good look at the frightening looking Monster he had drawn.

“Eh…” he said. “I’ll pass…”

[B](R: 3,900) (O: 5,100)

Russell drew a card.

“Well, you won’t fool me again,” said Russell, “I remember what that guy can do. So I’m just going to keep my Queen in Defense Mode and pass.”

“Very well,” said Omaly, drawing a card.

The shower of gold fell upon him again.

[B](R: 3,900) (O: 5,600)

“Next, I’ll summon a guy who you might remember…”

He played a card, and Manju appeared again. (1,400/1,000)

“You’re going to use another Ritual?” asked Russell.

“No,” said Omaly, “another copy of the same one. End of the World!”

He played the card, and the evil cloud appeared again.

“But this time, I’m not going to summon Ruin, but rather her Fiend counterpart. I’ll sacrifice Manju and Kelbek…”

Lightning struck the two Monsters, and once again, they were sucked into the Samsara chest.

“Naturally, that means they are shuffled back into my deck,” he said, reshuffling.

“And now, I summon… Demise, King of Armageddon!”

An intimidating form rose out of the ground. It was a hulking Fiend in grey armor, with a skull-like face, holding a huge axe. (2,400/2,000)

“This guy’s effect is even better than Ruin’s,” laughed Omaly. “But he isn’t going to use it just yet. Demise, attack Crescent Moon Queen with Siamese cut!”

Demise lifted his axe, and lunged at the Queen… and then with one downward slash, split her down the middle! A look of fright was frozen on the Queen’s dead face for a second, before her remains shattered.

Russell shakily drew a card.

“Are you beginning to get the picture, Russell, of why I constructed this deck the way I did?” asked Omaly. “Ruin and Demise are like two sides of the same coin. One, a Light Fairy… The other a Dark Fiend. Polar opposites, yet alike in so many ways. It’s sort of like…”

“Give me a break, Omaly!” shouted Russell. “If you’re making a comparison between them and you and Janus, it’s a bad one! Ruin may be a Fairy of Light, but she certainly wasn’t a being of Goodness. She’s just as evil as any Fiend.

“After all, every race has its bad apples…

“Janus is nothing like her. I’ve dueled him a few times, and while he’s never beaten me, he’s come close a few times. I’ve taken a blow from Guardian Angel Joan more than once, and there’s a big difference between her and Ruin…

“Ruin seemed to enjoy hurting me, something no respectable Fairy would.”

“And Demise will enjoy it even more,” said Omaly. “I believe it’s still your turn.”

Russell looked at the card he had drawn.

What am I worried about? he thought. I have both Big Shield Gardna and Ready For Intercepting! Time to give this guy a big surprise…

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode,” he said, setting the card.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“And one card facedown.”

A facedown card appeared.

“So, you think you’re safe putting a Monster in Defense Mode?” asked Omaly.

He drew, and Solemn Wishes kicked in.

“It’s time to use Demise’s big effect,” he said. “But first…”

He placed a card on his Disk.

“I’ll summon Jar of Want in Attack Mode.”

An object looking like a gold-plated version of the Pot of Greed appeared in front of him. (0/0)

“Zero Attack Points?” said Russell.

“And now to use Demise’s ability,” said Omaly. “If I spend 2,000 Life Points, he can destroy every card on the field except himself!”

Russell’s eyes opened in fear…

“Demise, doomsday purge!” shouted Omaly.

Demise slammed his axe into the ground, sending out wicked shockwaves! Russell’s facedown Monster and Trap shattered, as did Omaly’s Solemn Wishes and Samsara, and his Jar of Want.

“By the way,” laughed Omaly, “when Jar of Want is destroyed by a card effect while in Attack Mode, I can draw three cards.”

He drew three.

“Now, Demise, attack Russell directly!”

There was nothing Russell could do…

The horrid fiend lifted his axe, and seemingly cut him in half!

He fell to his knees, shivering.

[B](R: 1,500) (O: 4,100)

I’ve let them down… thought Russell. He’s going to spend the night using us as target practice for that Fiend, and there’s nothing I can do about it…

Even worse, both us and Janus are going to miss curfew…

He looked at his deck.

There’s gotta be something that I can do…

He paused.

There is one thing…

He drew a card.

He looked at it.

And this is the one!



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“I place a Monster in Defense Mode,” he said.

A facedown card appeared.

“And one card facedown,” he continued.

A facedown card appeared.

“Heh, heh,” laughed Omaly, drawing. “Time to finish you off… I can use Demise’s big effect more than once, and I have plenty of Life Points left…”

“So I’ll spend another 2,000…”

His Life Points fell.

“And Demise, doomsday purge!”

Demise raised his axe…

“Not so fast, Omaly!” shouted Russell. “I activate my Trap Card…”

His Trap lifted.

“Divine Wrath! Now, by discarding one card…”

He threw one card into his discard slot.

“Demise’s effect is negated, and he’s destroyed!”

Lightning struck from above, and the King of Armageddon roared! He dropped his axe and fell to his knees…

…and then shattered into shards!

“So your Monster’s big effect was a big waste…” said Russell.

[B](R: 1,500) (O: 2,100)

“You’re really starting to get… on my bad side!” shouted Omaly. “Well, since I haven’t summoned yet, I’ll summon Mudora in Attack Mode.”

A tall Fairy fighter wearing an Egyptian mask and holding a curved, bronze sword appeared.

“This guy gains 200 extra Attack Points for every Fairy in my Graveyard,” said Omaly, “and I have three of them there.”

Images of Keldo, Agido, and Ruin appeared behind him.

(1,500/1,800) –> (2,100/1,800)

“Attack his facedown Monster,” he ordered. “Scimitar slash!”

Mudora flew towards the facedown card…

A huge rodent appeared on the card. Mudora smashed it to pieces.

“Thanks for killing my Giant Rat, Omaly,” laughed Russell. “Now I can summon an Earth Attribute Monster from my deck with 1,500 Attack Points or less. And I choose… Throwstone Unit.”

The huge catapult appeared in front of him. (900/2,000)

“Fine…” grunted Omaly. “I’ll end my turn with a facedown card…”

A facedown card appeared behind Mudora.

Russell drew a card.

“I sacrifice Throwstone Unit, to summon Freed the Matchless General!” shouted Russell.

Trisha and Jason cheered as the catapult vanished to make room for the mighty General. (2,300/1,700)

“Him again?” shouted Omaly.

“Of course,” said Russell. “Why would he have left my hand? Freed, attack Mudora!”

Freed made a slash with his sword, and Mudora exploded into sand.

[B](R: 1,500) (O: 1,900)

“Okay, Russell…” growled Omaly, drawing a card. “I’ve had enough, so now I’m going to use a Monster I only use for special occasions…

“You ever hear of the Rule of Threes?”

“Rule of Threes?” asked Russell.

“According to universal law,” said Omaly, “important things come in threes. Wishes come in threes, stories come in threes, Heaven, Hell, and Earth make up three…

“The solar system has nine planets, and nine is three threes! See two things, always look for the third.

“Ruin and Demise are no exception. A third apocalyptic being exists. Ruin was created by Heaven, Demise by Hell…

“The third, however, was created by mortals, in a scientific experiment gone out of control. And he’s a Ritual Monster even more powerful than Ruin or Demise…”

His facedown card lifted.

“First I’ll activate another Solemn Wishes.”

He played a card.

“Then I cast the Litmus Doom Ritual!”

A huge microscope appeared behind him, and glowed with eerie light. Sparks flew…

“To complete this ceremony, I have to sacrifice at least eight stars worth of Monsters, so I’ll sacrifice one Keldo and one Agido…”

The two sand Fairies appeared in front of him. They were struck by the microscope’s light, and were consumed.

“And now I can summon the mighty Litmus Doom Swordsman!”

An intimidating form appeared in front of him. It was a Dark Warrior dressed like a matador, holding two long swords. (0/0)

“An eight star Ritual Monster with zero Attack Points and zero Defense Points?” said Russell, looking at the Monster. “I’m guessing this guy’s effect is pretty potent…”

“It is!” said Omaly. “Litmus Doom Swordsman can’t be destroyed in a battle, and he’s also immune to Traps. But he loves having Traps around, because when one is active, like Solemn Wishes is right now, he gains 3,000 Attack Points.”

The Swordsman’s Attack Score skyrocketed!

“Go!” he shouted. “Destroy his general!”

Litmus Doom Swordsman struck a pose, and then rushed forward with his swords, striking down Freed.

[B](R: 800) (O: 1,900)

“That will end my move…” said Omaly.

Man, I don’t have much left… thought Russell. Certainly nothing in my hand…

He drew.

Hey… it’s the card Jason sent me for my birthday two months ago! Might as well…

He played a Spell Card.

“I play Magical Mallet,” he exclaimed. “Now I’ll return my five cards to my deck, reshuffle, and draw five new ones.”

He reshuffled, and made five draws.

Hey… he thought again. Now I got the card that Trisha sent me for my birthday. And I can bring this duel to close…

“I play Monster Reborn,” he said, “and I’ll use it to bring back my old friend, Crescent Moon Queen.”

The holy ankh appeared, and the dark Queen appeared. (2,600/1,700)

“Next I’ll summon… Goblin Attack Force.”

He played a card, and a squad of four goblins in leather armor carrying clubs appeared. (2,300/0)

One of the goblins turned and winked at the Queen. She gave him a dirty look, and he backed off.

“Neither of them can hurt my Swordsman,” said Omaly.

“We’ll see about that,” said Janus. “I Equip my Queen with this… Burning Soul Sword.”

The Queen’s scimitars vanished, and a very long sword with a crimson blade appeared in her hands.

“Now let me explain how this useful Equip works,” said Russell. “I sacrifice one Monster on the field, and for one round only, the Monster holding Burning Soul Sword gains the Attack Points of the Monster I sacrificed.

“So, I’ll sacrifice my goblins…”

Goblin Attack Force vanished, and the Burning Soul Sword blazed with fire. Crescent Moon Queen’s skin, hair, and clothing became golden and shiny, and her attack rose to 4,900.

Omaly drew back in fear.

“Sure, Litmus Doom Swordsman will survive this attack,” said Russell, “but you sure won’t. Crescent Moon Queen, attack the Litmus Doom Swordsman with burning soul strike!”

Flames surrounded the Queen, and she raised her sword, and struck the Litmus Doom Swordsman. A shockwave struck Omaly, and he was thrown to the floor.

[B](R: 800) (O: 0)

“At ease…” said Russell.

Crescent Moon Queen and Litmus Doom Swordsman vanished.

Trisha and Jason ran up to him.

“Guys,” said Russell, “did I ever thank you for your birthday presents?”

“Many times, Russ,” said Trisha, smiling.

“Well, I’m going to get you two something great for your birthdays,” he said.

Omaly’s two girls looked at his unconscious form with disgust.

“What a loser…” said one of them, nudging him.

“And he said he was a good duelist,” said the other.

“Let’s get him out of here,” said Russell. “We have to get back before the curfew…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

As they started to carry the unconscious duelist back to the school, he came to.

“Guys?” he mumbled, in Janus’s voice.

He paused.

“Man, I have a headache… It was Omaly, wasn’t it?”

“Don’t worry, we took care of him…” assured Russell.

“Guys, please…” begged Janus. “You can’t tell Dr. Artemis. I try hard to keep him buried, but sometimes…”

“Don’t worry, Janus,” said Russell. “Omaly made a wager and lost. I think you’ll be able to keep him locked up from now on.”

Janus shook his head.

“I only wish I could find some way to duel him myself,” he said. “Challenge him and let him know once and for all just who’s body this is… The only problem is, I don’t know of any way I can do that.”

“Here,” said Russell, handing him a deck of cards. “This is Omaly’s deck. A duelist is nothing without his deck. If you just lock it up in a secure place, he’ll be helpless.”

Janus took it.

“I’ll keep that in mind…” he said.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Deep in the farthest reaches of Janus’s mind, a figure sat in a dark chamber, his limbs shackled by chains.

He wouldn’t be able to break them as easily as he did before after what happened, but he wasn’t worried.

“You won’t get rid of me so easily, Janus,” he chuckled. “In time, you’ll be the one wearing these chains, and I’ll still work to make sure that you stay in them.

“In time, in time… It will only be me…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

As night fell, the moon drifted slowly across the sky.

Manhattan was still busy. A vendor was doling out New York style pizza… floppy, foldable slices, dripping with gooey cheese and piled with pepperoni.

Raphael, Valon, and Alister watched him, and their mouths watered. They’d have given anything to be able to eat again…

“Get ahold of yourselves, mates,” said Valon. “We have better things to do than crave food.”

“You know,” said Raphael, “I always imagined that if you made it to Heaven, you were allowed to eat anything you wanted, and all the food was of the best quality…”

“Guys, focus!” said Valon. “Timaeus has showed up, so his two pals shouldn’t be far behind…”

“Since Timaeus showed up first,” said Alister, “logic states that Critias will come second…”

“And you’d be the expert on Critias, right?” asked Raphael, sarcastically.

Alister paused. When he worked for Dartz, he had tried his hardest to bring down Kaiba, the one whom Critias had chosen. In one fateful duel where he had played the Seal, Kaiba had used Critias to defeat him, and the Seal had taken his soul…

He had wanted so many times to apologize to Kaiba to his face for all he had done after it was over, but he never had the nerve to do so. After all, he doubted that a guy like Kaiba would have accepted an apology.

“Listen people,” he finally said, “I happen to know what those three goons are going to do next, and who their next target is.”

“Care to fill us in?” asked Raphael.

“I will later,” replied Alister. “But first, I need to go do something, alone.”

He walked away, towards the Academy.

The next victim will be at a disadvantage, he thought. But I know a way I can help… All it will take is sacrificing a little part of me…

And I’m more than willing to do it.



Tuesday, September 14th, 2106, 8:20 PM




CARD FROM A DIFFERENT DIMENSION (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A mysterious machine, crackling with electricity, with a Duel Monsters card inside it.

Card Description: When this card is removed from play, return it to your hand during your next Standby Phase. Then, both players draw two cards from their respective decks.

Note: “Card From A Different Dimension” was used by Zane in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Graduation Match”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



CRESCENT MOON QUEEN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK: 2,600
DEF: 1,700

Card Description: Mistress of the night, queen of the darkness. Many have perished under her crescent blades. This Monster may attack a second time in the same Battle Phase. If this Monster attacks a second time in a Battle Phase, move her into face-up Defense Position after completing the second attack.

Note: “Crescent Moon Queen” first appeared in “City of Souls”.



COMMAND OFFENSIVE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Freed the Matchless General angrily attacking Shadowknight Archfiend with his sword.

Card Description: Offer one WARRIOR-Type Monster on your side of the field as a Tribute. Special Summon one “Freed the Matchless General” from your hand. Then, both you and your opponent draw two cards from your respective decks.



JAR OF WANT (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Rock/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 2
ATK: 0
DEF: 0

Card Description: This strange artifact is believed to be the polar opposite of the Pot of Greed. If this Monster is destroyed by a card effect and sent to your Graveyard while in Attack Position, draw three cards from your deck.



LITMUS DOOM RITUAL (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Ritual
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –


Image: A huge microscope, crackling with electricity.

Card Description: This card is used to Ritual Summon “Litmus Doom Swordsman”. You must also Tribute Monsters who’s total Level Stars equal eight or more from the field or your hand.



LITMUS DOOM SWORDSMAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Ritual/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 0
DEF: 0

Card Description: This Warrior was the creation of a scientific experiment that unfortunately, went out of control. This Monster is Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell Card “Litmus Doom Ritual”. You must also Tribute Monsters who’s total Level Stars equal eight or more from the field or your hand. This Monster cannot be destroyed in battle (damage calculation still applies), and is not affected by Trap Cards. If at least one Trap Card is active on the field, increase this Monster’s ATK by 3,000.

Note: “Litmus Doom Ritual” and “Litmus Doom Swordsman” were used by Bastion in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Duel Off (Part Two)”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



BURNING SOUL SWORD (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Equip
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –


Image: A sword with a red blade, inside a bonfire.

Card Description: This card can be Equipped to any WARRIOR-Type Monster. Once per turn, you can offer one Monster on your side of the field, other than one Equipped with this card, as a Tribute. Increase the ATK of the Monster Equipped with this card by an amount equal to the ATK of the Tributed Monster until the End Phase of the current round.

Note: “Burning Soul Sword” was used by Joey in the anime episode “Courtroom Chaos (Part Two)”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Omaly’s Doomsday Deck

Janus Omastas is a kind, shy, pretty boy, whom no one would ever expect would hurt anyone. As a duelist, he uses Fairies of Light, beautiful creatures who use mercy to deal with their foes.

However, he hides a darker side. A sufferer of the incredibly rare syndrome that psychiatrists call Dissociative Identity Disorder, and most common folk call Multiple Personality Disorder, the entity that names himself Omaly strives to become the dominant personality, and can access Janus’s dueling skill, in a different way.

Omaly’s Doomsday Deck is actually a Ritual Deck that focuses on three powerful Ritual Monsters: Ruin, Queen of Oblivion, Demise, King of Armageddon, and Litmus Doom Swordsman. The first two are summoned using the same Ritual Spell Card, End of the World, making his job easier (and he has three copies). These three Monsters are both very powerful and very frightening – many opponents have surrendered after seeing what they can do, rather than face their wrath second time.

As far as other Monsters go, he also uses Fairies, but darker ones than his counterpart – the strange sand Fairies that were favored by Ishizu. He also naturally has three copies of Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands.

Omaly also has three copies of Samsara, a useful card that lets him recycle his Monsters after using them for a Ritual.

Omaly also has three copies of Solemn Wishes, a card that serves two purposes. First, it restores his Life Points, allowing him to use Demise’s ability without risk. Second, it is a Continuous Trap, which changes Litmus from helpless to powerful.

Also, because summoning Ritual Monsters can deplete the cards in your hand quickly, Omaly has many ways to make extra draws. Card From A Different Dimension and Jar of Want are examples, and he also carries Pot of Charity. One copy of Pot of Greed simply isn’t enough when it can take four cards to summon one Monster.

No matter where Janus stores the deck, it likely won’t hinder Omaly if he breaks free. Even from his prison, Omaly knows what Janus knows, and Janus cannot hide much from him. Fortunately for Janus, this works both ways…

…for now.



[B][I]Coming up next:

What is Alister up to?

Find out, and find out what the villains are up to, as new pieces are added to the puzzle of this story on both sides.

That’s right… It’s another Orichalcos duel, and it’s not gonna be pretty. The next chapter is called “Trap Master”, and it’s coming soon.

[Inferno_Dragon]

Interesting duel!!!

I see a little bit of the Shadow Queen's Deck in their. Though I was suprised to see Russell summon Crescent Moon Queen. The strategy that Russell used with his Maruading Captains reminded of the Yu-Gi-Oh GX Episode with Dark Magician Girl and Jaden dueling.

So what is Alistar up to and who is Critias going to choose?

I can't wait to see!

Keep up the good work!!!!!!!!